I watched the first week of events on TV and definitely felt some regret,
France is a paradise inhabited by people who think they are in hell.”
My office has been running at perhaps 20 or 30 per cent of capacity,
Today, no responsible politician can say that the French are durably and definitively divided and that there are not possible levers to bring them together,
We were the forgotten people of the republic before the Games and we will be forgotten after the Games. We will be back in the shadows again.”
The Olympic Games are for the rich, not for us,
We will see in 2025 if all the things reserved for the Olympic Games are open to the public. Psychologically, people feel they have been forgotten, have no dignity and are despised by society. They feel relegated. So we hope the Games will have concrete repercussions.”
I think all we will be left with in the long term are memories of the Games being held here.”
It’s very French to complain, but the Games can only have a positive effect here, now, in five years, in 10 years and anyone who thinks they aren’t good for the town needs their head examined. Many activities and events are organised here and when the visitors have gone we will be left with the sports facilities.”
It’s been a huge success. An extraordinary and exceptional moment that has reinforced the image of Paris,
I don’t know if it will change Seine-Saint-Denis in the long term but I’d like to be optimistic. They have promised us more shops and facilities,
We had no guarantees on storms, some of them were not anticipated and happened, others were anticipated and did not happen,
Let's remember those attacks, we responded swiftly, the accreditation system was impacted (by a cyber attack) but we solved the problem within four hours,
Swimming in the river Seine, we have faced challenges but we did it, we delivered this ambition, that's why it's a fantastic success so far,
The ambition we had was worth fighting for, we made strong choices, bold choices that are not always the easiest ones,