Au cœur des Jeux

The highlights of the preparations for the Games took place behind the scenes: in the secret meetings held at the Elysée Palace, behind the scenes at the Concorde and Champ-de-Mars construction sites, in the bowels of the Eiffel Tower, and at the heart of the arrangements for the Flame's arrival in Marseille.

When day breaks on July 26, 2024, the blue sky is collapsing. On the morning of the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Games, France is out of breath. It is raining cats and dogs in Paris. Some SNCF lines are sabotaged. The country is divided. Will the security of the ceremony be ensured? Will the event be the expected success? Twelve hours later, France is on top of the world. It is this unique day that serves as the narrative arch for this story of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. From Tony Estanguet's morning phone call to Teddy Riner and Marie-José Perec, whom he chooses as the last torchbearers, to "The Hymn to Love" on the Eiffel Tower, this July 26 allows us to tell the Games differently.

For 29 days, France vibrated to the rhythm of the Olympic and Paralympic Games: a close-up on the athletes who became, over the days, the beating heart of these Games.