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SCMP Editorial

The opening of the Summer Olympic Games always brings excitement, spectacle and hope for the future. On Friday night, an unprecedented floating ceremony on the River Seine heralded the beginning of the event in Paris.
It is a timely opportunity to rekindle the Olympic spirit. The delayed Tokyo Games in 2021 took place during the pandemic.
Spectators were banned from most venues. Those fortunate enough to attend had to wear masks and were not allowed to cheer.
It is appropriate, therefore, that the slogan for the Paris event is “Games Wide Open.” Millions are expected to visit the French capital to support their favourite athletes.

The enthusiastic crowds will be a welcome sight.
The organisers claim the Games will be the greenest yet, with a carbon footprint half the size of that for the London Olympics in 2012. Around 95 per cent of venues are pre-existing or temporary.
Athletes are sleeping on beds made of reinforced cardboard. Even the Olympic rings, proudly displayed on the Eiffel Tower, are made of recycled steel.
Another landmark is gender equality among athletes. There is parity between men and women for the first time.
But concerns have been raised about the use of the Seine for some events, given the high levels of E coli that have been found in the river. The mayor of Paris recently took a public dip in an attempt to offer reassurance.

The threat of terrorism is another worry, given previous attacks in the capital, and a heavy security blanket was thrown over the city ahead of the opening ceremony. This has caused inconvenience, but safety must be the priority.
Hong Kong’s team will be looking to build on its unprecedented success in Tokyo, where it won a gold medal, two silvers and three bronze. Swimmer Siobhan Haughey and fencer Cheung Ka-long are the favourites to strike gold.
We wish the 35-member team the best of luck. The city will be cheering them on.
China’s team will again be vying with the United States to top the medal table, having been only one gold medal short of its rival in Tokyo. Hopes are high, with 42 Olympic champions among the nation’s 405 athletes.
The Games come at a time of political instability in France and a fraught global environment, with war in Ukraine and Gaza and tensions between China and the West.
It is instructive, amid such tensions, to recall the Olympic values of not only excellence, of which there will be plenty in the 32 sports featured, but also respect and friendship. Three years ago, the word “together” was added to the Olympic motto, along with “faster, higher, stronger”. That sentiment – bringing nations closer – is more important than ever in these challenging times.


Paris Olympics marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei dies after being set on fire by boyfriend

Olympians win again by bringing pride and unity to excited Hong Kong

Mainland Chinese Olympic stars urge Hongkongers to pursue dreams after sports showcase

Chinese table tennis stars win hearts in Hong Kong with coaching, showcase of skills

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Games can shine for world badly in need of that Olympic spirit

People pose for photos with the Olympic rings in Paris ahead of the opening ceremony for the Summer Games. Photo: Kyodo

The Olympic rings, proudly displayed on the Eiffel Tower, are made of recycled steel. These Games strive to be the greenest yet, with a carbon footprint half the size of that for the London Olympics in 2012. Photo: EPA-EFE

Swimmer Siobhan Haughey and fencer Cheung Ka-long are the favourites to strike gold for Hong Kong at the Paris Summer Olympic Games. Photo: Handout

At Paris Olympics, Chinese manufacturers won big before the Games even started

Illustration: Henry Wong


Paris Olympics: Hongkongers urged to become 7 million-strong ‘cheerleading team’

Tourists pose for photos with the Olympic rings in Paris ahead of the opening ceremony. Photo: Kyodo

China’s Huang Yuting (left) and Sheng Lihao attend a shooting training session in Chateauroux. Photo: Xinhua

A technician jumps in the water to inspect reproductions of artworks decorating the banks of the River Seine. Photo: AP

Paris Olympics: who has won Games medals for Hong Kong, and where are they now?

Lee Lai-shan holds up the Hong Kong flag after winning the territory’s first Olympic medal, a sailing gold, at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Lee Lai-shan waves after winning the women’s mistral class gold medal in the waters off Savannah, Georgia. Photo: Reuters

Lee, pictured here at the Happy Valley Racecourse in 2016, is now a full-time mother of two daughters. Photo: Sam Tsang

Cheung Ka-long became Hong Kong’s second Olympic gold medallist. Photo: Reuters

Cheung made history again in 2022 by winning Hong Kong’s first men’s World Cup gold medal – in Paris. Photo: FIE

Li Ching and Ko Lai Chak on their way to a silver medal in the men’s doubles at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Photo: Reuters

Siobhan Haughey in Tokyo became the first Hong Kong athlete to win more than one Olympic medal in any sport. Photo: Getty Images

Retired Olympic medallist Sarah Lee Wai-sze at a charity event in Tsim Sha Tsui last October. Photo: Dickson Lee

Grace Lau hugs Turkey’s Dilara Bozan after winning their bronze-medal match at the Tokyo Olympics. Photo: Reuters

Minnie Soo (centre), flanked by Lee Ho-ching (right) and Doo Hoi-kem celebrate after winning their bronze medal match against Germany in Tokyo. Photo: Reuters

Opinion

Paris spectacle promises to be a sporting landmark with athletes from Hong Kong and mainland China among those going for gold at an event striving to bring nations closer together


Paris spectacle promises to be a sporting landmark with athletes from Hong Kong and mainland China among those going for gold at an event striving to bring nations closer together.


Ukraine

Paris

European Union

France

Japan

Britain

Hong Kong

Siobhan Haughey (何詩蓓)

United States

Terrorism

Environment

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Ukraine war

Israel-Gaza war

US-China relations

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Editorial

Editorial | Games can shine for world badly in need of that Olympic spirit

Paris spectacle promises to be a sporting landmark with athletes from Hong Kong and mainland China among those going for gold at an event striving to bring nations closer together