However, with just four months to go, the Games risk doing more harm than good to Paris’ reputation. In the run-up to the Olympics, the problems are such that the city appears unprepared to host the major sporting event, bolstering the arguments of those who argue that it is a colossal waste of money.
An Odoxa poll showed that almost one in two Parisians now think the Games are a “bad thing”. The 44% negative vote was twice as many as in 2021. The same poll found that 52% were considering leaving Paris during the Games.
These days it is not easy to chat with a cheerful Parisian, since they usually curse the Games and all that goes with them. “Paris will be unbearable. Impossible to park, impossible to get around, impossible to do anything. Ms. Hidalgo (s.s.: mayor of Paris) has destroyed Paris and I don’t want to have anything to do with the Games,” a resident told the BBC.
Besides, for months, entering the subway, he had to wrap – like thousands of locals – the train seats with garbage bags to avoid contact with bed bugs, a crisis that seems to have not yet been brought under control.
Continuous strikes
Strikes by street sweepers and garbage truck drivers months ago led to tons of garbage on the streets of the capital and by extension the appearance of rats on the main arteries that left the sewers for the also welcoming bins. The city’s rat population was estimated to be four million in 2020, a number that could be many times that at the Games.
The strikes have been ongoing for the past few months. Educators, railway workers and farmers stage rolling demonstrations. There are not a few demonstrations regarding the consequences of the climate crisis. Visitors to the Olympics, possibly visiting a museum in Paris, should not be surprised to see a protester rush up to the works of art to throw paint at them, as was recently done with … tomato soup against the Mona Lisa.
Visits to Paris landmarks for the 15 million visitors (note: estimated arrivals) should not, however, be taken for granted. Last month, after all, the Eiffel Tower – the most emblematic building of the French capital – was closed for six days, due to a workers’ strike. They were complaining about the way the management company operates it.
On high level the rents
Residents are concerned that the Olympics will worsen the existing housing crisis. There are not a few students who complain that the owners of the houses evict them in order to rent their houses at higher prices in the midst of summer and Olympic activities. Paris already has one of the highest living costs in the country, with a one-bedroom rental costing an average of €1,362 a month. Rentals during the Games are up to four times the normal prices.
“heart attack” in transportation
The government advised Parisians to limit their travel during the Olympics so as not to strain the transport system, and to work from home where possible. As a result, many businesses have chosen to close for annual leave during the event, but in some areas this is not possible.
But the biggest worry for many Parisians is how they will deal with the city’s already shaky transport system, with ticket prices expected to double during the Games.
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