Paris won the right to host the Games on 13 September 2017, during the 131st IOC Session held in Lima, Peru. After many of the initially interested cities withdrew their bids, the race came down to Paris and Los Angeles. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), impressed by both cities’ strong technical plans and innovative use of existing facilities, decided to award the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics to these two cities, respectively. Having already hosted the Games in 1900 and 1924, Paris became the second city after London (1908, 1948, and 2012) to host the Summer Olympics three times.
Paris 2024 also coincided with the centennial of both the Paris 1924 Games and the Chamonix 1924 Games, making it the sixth Olympic Games to be held in France—three Summer and three Winter editions ((https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Yaz_Olimpiyatlar%C4%B1). You can also compare the first Olympics held in Paris exactly a century ago with the most recent one via
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-LPnRnJQAI/?igsh=NzJvMHhqcHdqeWww
Officially called the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad and branded as Paris 2024, the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics took place between 24 July – 11 August 2024. The spectacular opening ceremony was held on 26 July, with most of the competitions hosted in the capital, Paris. Events were also held in 16 different cities across France, including Tahiti in French Polynesia.
The Unique Significance of Olympic Success
As you know, the Olympics hold a special place in the world of sports. They are a grand celebration for athletes and the most important stage on which they seek to prove themselves. That’s why the Olympics, especially the medals won, are a way for countries to showcase their strength and prove themselves to the entire world. Medals are, in a sense, a certificate of a nation’s success and power.
Throughout history, most of the Olympics have seen the United States dominate, but in recent years, China has clearly established itself as the second-strongest contender. In fact, in Paris, China led the medal table until the final day, when the U.S. surged ahead to tie in the gold medal count. In other words, if gold medals are taken as the primary measure, China nearly surpassed the U.S. at the Paris Olympics. The fact that the U.S. and China’s overwhelming economic power is mirrored in their consistent first- and second-place finishes at the Olympics is no coincidence. All the countries in the top ten are developed nations with proven track records. From this, we can conclude that Olympic results often reflect a country’s wealth and prosperity.
For a better sense of how the medal counts shifted day by day in Paris, you can watch
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-LPnRnJQAI/?igsh=NzJvMHhqcHdqeWww, and below you’ll find the top ten in the medal table along with Turkey’s standing:
A disappointing result for our country
|
Sıralama |
Ülke |
Altın |
Gümüş |
Bronz |
Toplam |
|
1. |
ABD |
40 |
44 |
42 |
126 |
|
2. |
Çin |
40 |
27 |
24 |
91 |
|
3. |
Japonya |
20 |
12 |
13 |
45 |
|
4. |
Avustralya |
18 |
19 |
16 |
53 |
|
5. |
Fransa |
16 |
26 |
22 |
64 |
|
6. |
Hollanda |
15 |
7 |
12 |
34 |
|
7. |
B. Britanya |
14 |
22 |
29 |
65 |
|
8. |
Güney Kore |
13 |
9 |
10 |
32 |
|
9. |
İtalya |
23 |
13 |
15 |
51 |
|
10. |
Almanya |
12 |
13 |
8 |
33 |
|
64. |
Türkiye |
0 |
3 |
5 |
8 |
As you can see, this table shows a major disappointment for Turkey. Forget making it into the top 10 — Turkey failed to win a single gold medal, marking its worst Olympic result ever. What makes this even more frustrating for me is that a Caribbean island with a population of just 70,000 — Dominica — managed to surpass Turkey by winning a gold medal in the triple jump: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-QSAXPM2De/?igsh=MXY0ZnNpdnBtODNxdw==
From this, it’s clear that the economic crisis in Turkey has also taken its toll on sports. And, of course, as in every other field, sports in Turkey are being run by people without merit — and run very poorly. I’d like to go into detail on what we can do to change this cycle of failure, but I’ll leave that for another blog post.
For now, I recommend you to read Banu Yelkovan’s article, titled “The Worst Olympics in History?”
(https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/sporarena/yazarlar/banu-yelkovan/tarihin-en-kotu-olimpiyati-mi-42502063 ) and Rahmi Turan’s article titled “The darkest year in our sports history” (https://www.sozcu.com.tr/spor-tarihimizin-en-kara-yili-p74950). You can also check out Fayn Studio’s news: https://www.instagram.com/p/C-nCpGzoaCF/?igsh=cWg2dHV0ODVhczd4&img_index=1
Our medal-winning athletes, as reported by Fayn Studio
Having said all this, let’s remember and thank our athletes who brought medals to our country despite all the adversities.
You can also check out our athletes who brought medals to our country at the Olympics:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-kKnvPvOMg/?igsh=MWY2bHM4Z3BwYTEydg==
Here is a post showing the cool Turkish athletes competing in the Olympics: https://www.instagram.com/secularturkey/reel/C-kQkAioAMD/?igsh=MXRvcmJvaWlkOWE5aQ==
The Standouts of Paris 2024
Now, let’s turn to the athletes who left their mark on the Olympics. First, the records. Most of the records at these Games were broken in swimming. In the 100, 200, 400, and 800 meters, both male and female athletes set new world and Olympic records. On the men’s side, China’s Pan Zhanle, France’s Leon Marchand, Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen, and the USA’s Bobby Finke all became new Olympic and world record holders in swimming.
Among the women, Australian swimmers Summer McIntosh, Kaylee McKeown, and Mollie O’Callaghan dominated the Olympics with their record-breaking performances.
Track and field also saw several new records. In the men’s pole vault final, Swedish athlete Armand Duplantis improved on his own world record with a jump of 6.25 meters, breaking the Olympic record and winning gold. In men’s discus, Jamaica’s Roje Stona claimed gold with a 70-meter throw, setting a new Olympic record. In the women’s 400-meter hurdles, American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone set a new world record (see: https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/paris-2024-olimpiyatlarinin-ilkleri-ve-rekorlari-video-1713270).
In total, Paris saw 125 Olympic records broken across 10 disciplines, and 32 world records in 8 disciplines.
Now for some more statistics and facts (see: https://olympics.com/ioc/news/paris-2024-record-breaking-olympic-games-on-and-off-the-field): Over the course of the 19 days of competition:
- Athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team took part
- 32 sports / 48 disciplines
- 35 competition venues
- 4 additional sports proposed by the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee: skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing, and breaking
- 15 new events
- 1 sport making its Olympic debut – breaking
- 754 competition sessions
- 329 medal events
- 5,084 medals produced using 18 grams of iron from the Eiffel Tower
- 20 mixed-gender medal events
- 91 NOCs and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team won medals
- 4 NOCs won their first-ever Olympic gold:
- Botswana: Letsile Tebogo – Athletics – Men’s 200m
- Dominica: Thea LaFond – Athletics – Women’s Triple Jump
- Guatemala: Adriana Ruano Oliva – Shooting – Women’s Trap
- Saint Lucia: Julien Alfred – Athletics – Women’s 100m
- The IOC Refugee Olympic Team won its first-ever medal: Cindy Ngamba (bronze) – Boxing – Women’s 75kg
First-ever Olympic medalists from other nations included:
- Albania: Chermen Valiev (bronze) – Wrestling – Men’s Freestyle 74kg
- Cape Verde: David de Pina (bronze) – Boxing – Men’s 51kg
- Dominica: Thea LaFond (gold) – Athletics – Women’s Triple Jump
- Saint Lucia: Julien Alfred (gold) – Athletics – Women’s 100m
Now, let’s look at some other athletes who made headlines without breaking records.
The Turkish Phenomenon
We can’t talk about Paris 2024 without mentioning Yusuf Dikeç, who became a phenomenon in shooting with both his style and his skill. Unlike other competitors, Dikeç kept one hand in his pocket and maintained a remarkably calm demeanor during his shots. He wore no protective gear, no ear protection, and no special lenses for better sight—just his regular prescription glasses—and still took silver.
Dikeç drew so much attention that neither his partner, Şevval İlayda Tarhan (with whom he won a medal in mixed events), nor Damir Mikec of Serbia, who beat him to gold, got nearly as much press. In fact, two days after the Games, Mikec sent him a message saying: “Dikeç, I can’t tell—did we win the gold, or did you? In my country, you’re number one.”
That’s the beauty of sport.
Marksmanship: Our Military’s European Success
It’s worth noting that Yusuf Dikeç is a professional soldier. He currently serves as a Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (Chief Master Sergeant) in the Turkish Gendarmerie General Command. I hardly need to point out that sharpshooting is practically in the Turkish DNA. For example, this year in Germany, at the competition for Europe’s best snipers—with 36 teams from 19 NATO allied countries—the Turkish Armed Forces, represented by the Turkish Land Forces and the Turkish Special Forces, claimed both first and second place, adding another chapter to the global reputation of our military’s marksmanship skills: https://www.instagram.com/p/C-kMIZgAMF4/?igsh=NWxpZTBkM2VheGdl.
Behind Dikeç’s Olympic success was also the crucial contribution of his friend Levent, a machinist, who stayed up all night repairing Dikeç’s pistol after its trigger broke. We salute him here as well. Here’s Dikeç’s own account of the story of the repaired pistol https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-acZaIIzBL/?igsh=MXc5NWVnYThtaW9pZw==.
Despite modern technology, Dikeç’s performance also showed just how astonishingly effective human senses can be. Combined with his relaxed style—shooting with one hand in his pocket—he quickly became a sensation, giving rise to the now-famous “Yusuf Dikeç salute.” Here are some athletes doing the salute:
Two Serbian Stars: Djokovic and Jokic
Another athlete who left his mark on the Olympics was Novak Djokovic. Having claimed the top spot in every tournament he’s played—especially the Grand Slams—Djokovic had only one missing piece in his career: an Olympic gold medal. He filled that gap at these Games, defeating the young Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz, who had beaten him in their recent encounters, to capture the title (https://www.instagram.com/tennistv/p/C-QKE2as4zZ/?igsh=MXJlN202dmRnaHp1cg==) ). I’ll be dedicating my next blog post entirely to Djokovic.
And speaking of Djokovic, we should also mention another Serbian superstar: Nikola Jokic. One of the very best players in the NBA—the undisputed top basketball league in the world—Jokic played a pivotal role in leading his team, the Denver Nuggets, to a championship. In Paris, Jokic led the Serbian national team to a stellar performance. After narrowly losing to the USA in the semifinals, Serbia went on to beat Germany in the bronze medal game. Jokic celebrated this Olympic bronze even more passionately than his NBA championship.
https://www.instagram.com/cbssports/reel/C-ftYjaszw1/?igsh=NWRqdGVrNnhrNnph
Hassan’s Triple Feat
Finally, I want to talk about Sifan Hassan. Competing in three back-to-back races, Hassan claimed bronze in the women’s 5,000 meters, another bronze in the 10,000 meters, and capped it off with a gold medal in the marathon
https://www.instagram.com/running_peak/p/C-iFINgNvIm/?igsh=MXdjcTl5dWI4anR0eg%3D%3D&img_index=1). It’s truly remarkable that, in such grueling running events, she managed to win three medals back-to-back with very little rest in between—and to top it off by winning the marathon, one of the crown jewels of athletics. With this marathon gold, she became the first woman ever to win Olympic gold in the marathon, 5,000 meters, and 10,000 meters (having already taken the 5,000 m and 10,000 m titles at Tokyo 2020).
Firsts in Paris
Now, let’s move on to some Olympic firsts. For the first time, breakdancing was included in the Games, and it delivered plenty of excitement. The inaugural Olympic champions were Canadian b-boy Phil Wizard and Japanese b-girl Ami Yuasa.
The opening ceremony on July 26 also made Olympic history. Held on the Seine River in Paris, with a parade of athletes and performances staged at various spots across the city, it marked the first time an Olympic opening was held outside a stadium.
The closing ceremony featured none other than Tom Cruise, who, in a scene worthy of his famous Mission Impossible franchise, carried the Olympic flag in a sequence symbolizing the handover from Paris to Los Angeles
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-jDJx-Nh4N/?igsh=MTNuaThxZWh2cmQ0Mw==
Controversial Issues
The Paris Olympics were not without controversy. The first controversy arose during the opening ceremony. The performance of a drag queen (a man who dresses and wears makeup) sparked controversy due to its depiction of the “Last Supper,” depicting Jesus Christ, and its alleged disrespect for religious beliefs.
The second controversy arose after Imane Khelif, who was disqualified by the International Boxing Association for not meeting the eligibility criteria for the 2023 World Cup women’s competition, won the gold medal in her weight class, the 66 kg category. The women competing with Imane maintained that they were boxing against men, not women.
Finally, the possibility of swimming in the Seine River, where swimming has been prohibited for 100 years, was discussed. Participating swimmers complained about the water’s pollution. The Belgian Olympic Committee withdrew Claire Michel from the competition after she was infected with E. coli bacteria during a triathlon. Portuguese triathlete Vasco Vilaca reportedly developed symptoms consistent with a gastrointestinal infection after the race. National swimmer Kuzey Tunçelli also commented on the river’s pollution, saying, “The water was filthy. The smell and taste were terrible. I felt like I couldn’t swim because of the current. It was a terrible race experience.”
I hope that the next Olympics, held in Los Angeles in four years, will not have any of these problems. A competition where good character is at the forefront, sensitivity to global issues is emphasized, and gender equality is ensured (For the percentage of women participating in the Olympics, see:https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-B9d6gp6E9/?igsh=NjA2NTFpd3Y5Y2c2) We hope to witness an event where we will witness the greatest number of Olympic records being broken.
Bonus: The fencing competitions at the Paris Olympics were held at the magnificent Grand Palais. Here’s an image from a distant perspective that reveals the beauty of fencing and the venue:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-PhXRDtN7E/?igsh=bGdoem1wMm80Njhv
Tag: moment
