Why do the Olympic Games fascinate us?

The tragic images that arrived a few days ago of the terrorist attack in Moscow raised alerts in various parts of the world: any sign of vulnerability in any of the world’s major cities makes us feel that the next episode could be at home. Like Artocha, 9/11, the Bataclán and so many other moments, what happened at the Crocus City Hall generates the reasonable psychosis that, in the face of certain aggressions, there is no infallible security system.

As after an episode of such magnitude with such a high impact, it is manual that, from many places, people speculate when and where the next one could be. It is not arbitrary that, in the last few hours, some media outlets have raised concerns about Paris 2024. Especially the unprecedented show that is preparing for the opening ceremony, with the Seine River as the main stage.

It is also reasonable that, from the organization of the games, the existence of a plan B. It is logical, even if an alternative project existed in the folder. Not only to not alert those who might think of a new blow, but to avoid an escalation in our psychosis.

An Olympic game is a space of extraordinary universal attraction far beyond an opening party: every second of the competitions has a significant impact on the public of the more than 200 participating countries. That is also where the stress level commitment that is placed on security plans lies.

What is obvious to some and not so obvious to many is what is the true level of relevance of this type of competence.

There are two illuminating facts. One, specific to a venue such as the one in Paris, has to do with the locations that will no longer be exhibited as part of the traditional Beauty Shots generated by the Olympic Broadcast System (OBS), but this time, as a panoramic scenography of the competition spaces themselves.

I propose a game to you. Let’s add to each sport the Parisian icon in front of which the competitions will take place.

• Badminton and rhythmic gymnastics = Porte de la Chapelle
  
• Marathon = Start from the Hotel de Ville
  
• Breaking, 3x3, BMX freestyle and Skateboarding = La Concorde
  
• Triathlon, race against the clock and 10 km of swimming = Start from the Alexander III Bridge
  
• Fencing and Taekwondo = Grand Palais
  
• Judo and Wrestling = Field of Mars
  
• Archery = Invalid
  
• Beach Voley = Eiffel Tower
  

These are just a few emblematic references, in terms of historical monuments in plain sight, even greater than the magnificence exhibited by London 2012.

It should be added that both road cycling and the marathon will have the Trocadero as a reference point, that there will be soccer in the Parque de los Princes and tennis and boxing at Roland Garros.

Or that horseback riding will be dressed up at the Palace of Versailles.

The other fact that gives a clear idea of the magnitude of the Olympic Games is the number of sponsors who pay a lot of money to be part of the show.

There are four categories of sponsors and according to the official website of the games, the total number of companies reaches just under 80. There are global, domestic and historical hallmarks that have accompanied the phenomenon of the rings for decades.

It is likely that some of you will remember and think about what happens in this category in world championships in soccer, rugby, basketball, athletics or swimming. Maybe, in the NBA.

The peculiarity that further dimensions the specific weight of Olympism in the world of sports in business mode is that none of these brands appear in static advertising in stadiums. In other words, they acquire the right to advertise themselves as sponsors or partners of the competitions but, to do so, they must manage their own dissemination space.

Something similar to what happened at Wimbledon, although with similar caveats in both cases. While All England reserves a subtle space for two historic sponsors linked both to technology and to the provision of balls for the tournament -an ancient relationship with a former member of the club-, in the games you can find, not without effort, the logo or the name of some brand that provides the intrinsic infrastructure of the competitions.

Clearly, when big brands get on your show almost unable to show off, there’s something special about the prestige of the product you’re selling.