by Paris sets an unrivaled scene for an event as big as the Olympic Games. The picture-perfect backdrop is already there, with Paris 2024 promotional videos featuring horses galloping past the empty fountains of Versailles, dancing on the litter-free Place de la Concorde, and cyclists whirring around the Arc de Triomphe, where cars usually sit in a smoke-filled traffic jam. Behind this idealistic portrayal, however, problem after problem rears its ugly head.
Let’s scratch the big itch first – bed bugs. During the Autumn of the year 2023, it seemed that Paris, and France in general, had become very much affected by a veritable plague of mites. Freezers to decontaminate holdings became hot commodities on the defunct Leboncoin website. Locals have resorted to wrapping their train seats in rubbish bags to avoid hosting the tiny blood-sucking insects, and it seems the bed bug crisis in Paris is still not under control.
At the same time, the city’s garbage collectors went on strike, leaving piles of trash overflowing the streets of Paris for weeks afterward. Perhaps it’s no surprise with all this intractability that the rat problem in Paris has become a talking point, going viral on TikTok. The city’s rat population was estimated at four million as recently as 2020.
France is a country where a good protest runs in the veins of its people even stronger than the love of wine and fine cheese, but they seem to be passing away recently. Workers for SNCF (France’s national railway system) were already on strike two out of four weekends in February, but the farmers dominated the news, protesting the long list of rules and regulations what they have to do – everything from the right of way to fencing a field to the minimum width of a chicken coop. What began as a peaceful protest, turning upside down road signs across the country in late 2023, quickly escalated to major cities, including Paris, blocking them with hay bales and tractors, which made it impossible to move.
We’ve also seen climate protests, with a group called Riposte Alimentaire (Food Response) throwing soup over the Mona Lisa in January. The Louvre, incidentally, where the painting is on display, raised its entrance fee by €5 this year – the first increase in seven years, no doubt strategically planned to profit from the influx of tourists.
Earlier this month, even France’s most famous landmark was on strike. Workers at the Eiffel Tower, dissatisfied with the way the building is managed, marched out, leaving it closed for six days in the middle of the school holidays. So, has all the chaos left Parisians feeling lukewarm about hosting the Games – and will it ruin the experience for the 15 million visitors expected in the city during the event?
For many residents, the fact that the Olympics are exacerbating the already existing housing crisis is a big talking point. Business studies student Johanna Guibert said: “So many of my friends are being evicted from their flats in June so their landlords can let them out at a higher price during the Olympics. If I didn’t know my landlord personally I could be in the same boat.”
Paris already has one of the highest costs of living in the country, with a one-bedroom rent costing an average of €1,362 (£1,166) per month. During the Games, it may be impossible for those evicted to find somewhere within their budget, as an increasing number of homeowners list their properties on platforms such as Airbnb.
There is also a growing homelessness crisis, with 44 percent of all homeless people in France to be found in Paris – hardly the kind of image the city wants to project as the eyes of the world watch. Change Please trains homeless Parisians to give them barista skills to help them get back on their feet. “Unfortunately, it seems that the plan is only to move people during the Olympics,” says Xavier de Parseval, one of the founders of its branch in Paris. “From what we have heard and read, I don’t believe they will be found housing, they will be moved to parts of town where they are less visible to tourists.”
The French government has advised Paris to limit their trips during the Olympic Games to minimize excessive pressure on the transport system, and to work from home where possible. As a result, many businesses have chosen to close on annual leave for the duration of the event, but in some sectors it is not possible.
In many parts of Paris, there is a total ban on construction between mid-June and mid-September, unless it can be proven to be an emergency. “It is not yet clear whether we will be able to continue working on construction projects during the Olympics,” says Morgane Allard, an architect. “Scaffolding was initially suggested to be banned during the Olympics and Paralympics because it was very damaging – but putting up and dismantling scaffolding or stopping a construction project is an expensive business.”
But the biggest concern for many Parisians is how to deal with the city’s already shaky transport system. Ticket prices are expected to double during the Games, with Metro lines 6, 8 and 14 closed during the February school holidays for upgrades, which would cause great inconvenience to families.
“Traveling in Paris was very complicated this year,” says Thibault Barbou, a consultant. “Everything is being built. It is impossible to update the outdated lines, and there are already not enough train drivers. I can already picture the scenes during the Olympics, where the train is held up because someone has left their bag in a carriage.”
Léo Leclerc, who works in insurance, said: “The Metro lines are already saturated and the transport system is deteriorating. I cycle to work, but not everyone can do that. Take people with physical disabilities, for example. The installation of lifts at certain Metro stations seems to be refused when the means to install them are not available everywhere, so what is the alternative for them? A bus that only runs every 20 minutes or so?”
The Olympics will no doubt look fantastic on TV – beach volleyball under the Eiffel Tower is a sight to behold Emily in Paris out of the water. But how will it be on the ground? Last year, five consecutive days of rioting and looting rocked the capital after a gunman killed an unarmed 17-year-old. With all the discontent from farmers, transport workers and climate protesters alike, will it all come to a head when Paris is on the horizon?
Efforts are clearly being made to clean up the image of Paris, and fast. Hotels, fearing a bad reputation if the permanent souvenirs of visitors to the Olympic Games are bed bug infestations, have hired sniffer dogs to detect them, but it is an expensive business, around €30 each the hotel room. Increased concern about widespread dealing in crack cocaine in 19th Paris arrondissement the police chief, Laurent Nuñez, appeared on television to make sure the community was all settled before the Olympics. With just over four months to go, however, the Games risk doing more harm than good to Paris’ reputation.
The French government has produced a guidebook with an interactive map to help Parisians and visitors alike plan their trips during the Games. It includes live updates on Metro line closures, road closures and traffic conditions, and can be found at anticiperlesjeux.gouv.fr
