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Sara Fischer: How the Paris Olympics became The Redemption Games
This piece is by WWSG exclusive thought leader, Sara Fischer.
Over the last two weeks, the Paris Olympics served as a stage for epic comeback stories for athletes, the businesses that support them — and even the Games themselves.
Why it matters: Fans love feel-good victories so much (especially in an iconic setting), they’re tuning into the Games at an unprecedented rate this year.
Team USA athletes with redemption stories more valuable than gold:
- Simone Biles won four medals, including the gymnastics team and individual all-around golds, marking a dramatic return to dominance after withdrawing from the Games in Tokyo. Teammate Sunisa Lee came back from kidney disease to win team gold and bronze medals in the all-around and uneven bars. Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey overcame adversities of their own, all of which led Team USA to dub its Paris journey “the redemption tour.”
- Sha’Carri Richardson won the silver medal in the women’s 100 meters and gold in the 4×100 relay — an especially sweet victory for the sprinter after being denied a spot at the last Olympics for failing a marijuana test.
- The U.S. women’s soccer team defeated Brazil today, capturing the team’s first Olympic gold since 2012.
- Brittney Griner returned to international basketball competition after spending 10 months in Russian captivity — and welcoming a baby just days before the games began. The U.S. women’s basketball team has advanced to Sunday’s gold medal game in Paris.
Zoom in: NBC experienced its own redemption story, breathing a sigh of relief with rebounded TV ratings in its first post-pandemic Games that stand in stark contrast to Tokyo’s empty stands and masked athletes.
International stories also captured global attention:
- Imane Khelif of Algeria won the gold medal in the 66-kilogram (145-pound) boxing tournament despite facing vicious attacks amid questions about her gender.
- The tiny island of St. Lucia won its first gold medal, thanks to Julien Alfred, who defeated Richardson in the 100 meters. Meanwhile, Thea LaFond won gold in triple jump for Dominica, an island that doesn’t even have its own track.
The big picture: The Games are also a redemption story for France, which faced skepticism from the world about everything from security to pollution in the Seine. Success was all the more important ahead of 2030, when the Winter Games are scheduled to be held in the French Alps.
- Travel to France for the Games came in lower than expected but wasn’t a loss. Airbnb, for example, said it was initially on track to be slightly below expectations, but then saw a demand surge, including from people within France. “We’re well exceeding them now,” chief business officer Dave Stephenson told Axios. “There’s been a lot of last-minute demand.”
- And it’s a redemption story for the Olympics themselves, which have dealt with a number of crises in recent years, including Zika in Rio in 2016 and COVID-19 in Tokyo and Beijing.
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