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CULTURE
AUGUST 2024
Merci Paris, Merci France!
By Eleni Stamoulakatou
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games were completed earlier this month, and it would be remiss of me as a Greek to not express my sense of humility and true gratitude for the special tribute paid to Greece, as the country that founded what is a meetup of talented and skillful athletes from all over the world.
During what is the epitome of athleticism and what was a spectacular and chic staging, Arthur Cadre, a 32-year-old break dancer, took center stage in Stade de France in the form or a golden voyager starring in a piece titled "Records’’ directed by Thomas Jolly.
In the sound of the Greek National Anthem, he ‘travelled’ through time and back to the past to revisit a long enduring legacy and what is our heritage, but also our compass to the future. A prominent reminder of how the values we inherited from our ancestors, are the anchors that keep us in tune with our true self as citizens of the world, and what will help us move forward as we pave the way ahead amidst challenges of the present times. A combination of the Winged Victory of Samothrace sculpture standing tall, firm and proud alongside the Olympic rings led the games to a proper closure marking a universal win - that of the human spirit.
As the torch is being passed to Los Angeles, and until we meet again in 2028….merci Paris, merci France! Bon travail et merci pour cet honneur!
To learn more about Olympism in Greece, visit Athens Olympic Museum.
To learn more about the Ancient Olympic Games in Greece, visit Welcome to the Ancient Olympic Games.