The best games?

Olympics in Paris: these were the tops and flops

Boxer Imane Khelif (right) caused a stir, Austria won five medals in Paris.

(Bild: Associated Press, GEPA Pictures)

Revolutionary ideas and golden moments for the stars characterized the Summer Olympics in Paris. These were the tops and flops. 

The "Krone" reports from Paris

"These were the best Games ever." You hear this sentence at practically every closing ceremony. This time it may have been true, but not everything was perfect in Paris 2024 either. A look at the tops and flops:

+ Innovations: Paris took a risk and was rewarded! The opening ceremony on the Seine was the most spectacular of all time, and the same applied to the sports venues. Never before have the Games been so central to the city. Outgoing IOC President Thomas Bach described it as: "The dawn of a new Olympic era."

+ Fans: The full stadiums were very uplifting after the empty stands in Tokyo. In athletics, every morning session was sold out with 80,000 fans.

+ The stars delivered: Léon Marchand won four gold medals, Simone Biles three. Some greats such as Novak Djokovic, Teddy Riner and LeBron James bid a triumphant farewell to what will probably be their last games.

+ Small nations: Sprinter Julien Alfred from Saint Lucia, an island with a population of 180,000, won the 100 meters, while Letsile Tebogo won Botswana's first Olympic gold in the 200 meters. New Zealand won 20 medals, half of them gold.

+ Austria: With two gold and three bronze medals, this was the sixth most successful Summer Games for Red-White-Red. Yesterday at 6.45 pm Valentin Bontus, the sailing duo Lara Vadlau/Lukas Mähr and the climbing bronze medallists Jessica Pilz and Jakob Schubert were welcomed at Vienna Schwechat Airport, around 500 friends, family members and fans attended and military music was played. The celebrations continue today, when the athletes will be honored by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen in the Hofburg.

But despite all the praise, there were also negative aspects to the Games in Paris:

- The greed for money: the IOC takes in billions, the athletes get nothing. Of course, fame and honor are paramount at the Olympics, but in some disciplines athletes can hardly earn anything else. The Olympic movement should do something about this!

- Food in the Olympic Village: long waiting times, the food was already cold. The athletes were the ones who suffered, that shouldn't happen.

- Boxing federation: Boxing only made headlines because of the gender debate. Of course, the IOC was partly to blame here because it had not issued clear guidelines. This sport will hardly be an Olympic sport in 2028.

- Doping turmoil: Eleven Chinese swimmers tested positive. With 12 medals, China was more successful than ever in the swimming competitions. Chinese athletes were tested more often in Paris than others, but too late. Of course, this is not a Chinese problem. Two US athletes were also given a free pass after doping violations - questionable.