REPORT

Olympic Games 2024: in Paris, the values of Olympism celebrated on the walls

As the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris approach, the capital continues to transform itself into a sanctuary for sport. Since June 1st, 14 artistic posters, created as part of the Cultural Olympiad by seven artists, are exhibited on the banks of the Seine. Representing the values of the Games, they will tour the France in a few months.

Posters by photographer Stéphanie Lacombe, representing B-Girl Kamy and fencer Cyril Moré, on display at Voie Georges-Pompidou in Paris, June 1, 2023. © Nicolas Bamba/RFI

Text by: Nicolas Bamba Follow

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Paris is dressed in its summer clothes at the beginning of June. The calendar may say that spring is not over, but the weather is already summery. The sun is shining, the thermometer is flirting with 27°C and Parisians are enjoying it.

On the Quai de la Mégisserie, in the heart of the capital, between the Pont Neuf and the Pont au Change, traffic is loaded of course. We are in Paris in the middle of the afternoon, let's not forget that.

But a few meters below, the atmosphere is more relaxed on the Georges-Pompidou way. The driveway, on the banks of the Seine, is reserved for pedestrians and non-motorized two-wheelers. With the good weather and the stars that parade on the river, the postcard is successful.

Joggers and cyclists are out. Walkers are also numerous. More unusual: this woman in a wedding dress who skateboards, or this pooch well installed between the shins of his master on a scooter.

The artistic posters of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are on display from 1 June 2023 on the Voie Georges-Pompidou. And starting in September, they will travel throughout the France. © Nicolas Bamba/RFI

It is this place that has been chosen by the Cultural Olympiad, a multidisciplinary artistic program, to present its new achievement for the Olympic and Paralympic Games scheduled to take place in Paris in just over a year. On the walls, artistic posters were installed on June 1, as part of the Parisian Nuit Blanche, which begins on June 3.

Seven artists at work

Seven artists were invited to produce an Olympic poster and a Paralympic poster each. Their works (visible at the end of the article) must highlight values dear to the Paris 2024 project, which combines sport and art: inclusiveness, parity, celebration and innovation.

Everyone has put their personal touch into it. Illustrator Fanny Michaëlis staged female athletes in action, while painter Gilles Elie opted for an abstract style, made of lines leaving room for imagination. Clotilde Jiménez, jack-of-all-trades, mixed paint and collage to represent her swimmers and sprinters.

And then there is the signature of Stéphanie Lacombe, who has called on a potential future Olympic champion and a multi-medalist. For her Olympic poster, the photographer took a shot of Camille "Kami" Regneault, a French figure in breakdancing, a sport that will be practiced for the first time at the Games in 2024; She appears after training, pensive, as if she were immersing herself in her performance.

On the Paralympic poster is Cyril Moré, a seven-time medallist (including five gold) at the Atlanta, Sydney and Athens Games in wheelchair fencing; He is photographed in a room, surrounded by his equipment, observing his sword with a deep look.

Stéphanie Lacombe's poster for the Cultural Olympiad. © Nicolas Bamba/RFI

« The Games make my life more dynamic and festive »

Contacted by RFI, Cyril Moré says he is "happy to honor (my) sport". "Opportunities are rare, and this one was too good to miss," says the man who left the competition in 2015. He no longer crosses swords or hurtles down the slopes – he also took part in the Sochi 2014 Winter Games in para alpine skiing – but sport and the Games have never really left him. Very involved in Paris 2024, he also advises Adrien Turkawka, French hope in wheelchair fencing. "I'm always into the Games. I am very happy to have this guiding thread in my life. It makes it more dynamic and festive," he says.

And even with all his experience of the Games, Cyril Moré is still learning, as with this photo shoot: "I discover new aspects every day. This time, it's the Cultural Olympiad. It's super strong in symbol.

Stéphanie Lacombe's idea was to show an athlete before the competition and an athlete after the competition, with Cyril Moré in the leading role: "It was a complicated equation. There is nothing obvious when you state all this as a starting point. I had to equip myself, I had to take back my equipment, I had to find sensations, especially those of these moments of concentration when you are a little lost in your thoughts.

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We had to find a little loneliness, a little tension, maybe apprehension at the imminence of a huge thing that we want, but that is also scary. I believe that every competitor has a little bit of this duality in their head, heart, guts before they jump into the arena," the one-day model continues.

► Also listen: 2024 Paralympic Games: "The challenge, gaining years of quality of life for millions of people"

« Paris 2024 will make history »

The result is now on the walls of the City of Light, facing the Seine. His verdict? "I love Kamy's picture. I don't like to see myself! I'm going to need sincere and maybe just as caring people to tell me that it works! " he laughs.

For the five-time Olympic champion, "the Paris Games are progressing well, on time", and this "despite some adventures that we had not imagined such as the pandemic, security, war, inflation ...". However, I have the impression that this very solid project is progressing well and will mark the history of the Games. " he firmly believes.

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Every week, a new brick is laid " says Cyril Moré. The artistic posters of Paris 2024 form one more. The rest comes very quickly. "We're already in it, it's great," he concludes.

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• Olympic Games
• Olympics 2024
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