The important thing is to participate: this is a basic value of sport, and therefore of the Olympic Games. But encouraging the participation of the greatest number of athletes from the greatest number of countries was not Paris’ priority. The money was there, in abundance: 9 billion euros in budget according to the Cour des Comptes. Paris 2024 could have been a parenthesis in a world of inequality, but unfortunately this was not the case. This puts into perspective the slogan of a great global celebration of youth.
Capitalism and colonization have created a highly unequal world. Around 20% of the world’s population live in ageing countries. These 20% enjoy a level of comfort unprecedented since the beginning of humanity, thanks to the work of 80% of the humans. The overwhelming majority of the world’s population lives in countries where young people, i.e. those under 30, make up at least 50% of the population.

Delegation staffing levels bear no relation to the demographic reality of the world

This inequality is reflected in the size of the various delegations. The media broadcast rankings: number of medals and medallists per country and also according to the number of inhabitants per country. But there is one ranking that is currently missing: the athletes’ results according to the number of members in each delegation. Statistically, a country with several hundred participants is bound to win more medals than one with fewer than ten invited athletes. The size of a delegation does not depend on the country’s population, but on its heritage. In the West, this heritage is the result of centuries of plundering and exploitation of the world through the colonization of Africa, Asia, America and Oceania. Added to this are the effects of capitalism, which developed from the West. The West is made up of ageing countries. Youth has become a minority. And yet, with the exception of China, the West had the most populous delegations in the world.
While France is the equivalent of a mere province in China, the Chinese delegation numbered 405 athletes, compared with 571 for the French delegation, which also included representatives from Reunion and other former colonies integrated into the French Republic.

571 participants under French flag, 327 British athletes, 14 from La Reunion Island and 7 from Madagascar

A simple comparison illustrates the inequality.
Madagascar has a population of 31 million, 21 million of whom are under 30, and 7.6 million between 15 and 30. But only 7 athletes represented Madagascar in some disciplines.
France has a population of 68 million, 23.3 million of whom are under 30, and 11.7 million between 15 and 30. 571 athletes represented France in all disciplines. Of course, the Olympic Games were held in France. But that doesn’t explain why the French delegation was more than 80 times larger than that of Madagascar.
Another overseas country, the United Kingdom, has a population of 65 million, 24 million of whom are under 30, and 12 million between 15 and 30. At the Paris Olympics, the UK delegation had 327 participants in 27 disciplines, 46 times more than the Malagasy delegation.
La Reunion Island has a population less than a third that of the Indian Ocean’s largest city, Antananarivo. This is equivalent to 2 or 3 districts of the capital of Madagascar. With a population of less than 900,000, of which only 260,000 are under 30 and 167,000 between 15 and 30, La Reunion Island had 14 representatives on the French delegation - twice as many as Madagascar.

Why not devote 10% of the budget to solidarity with athletes from developing countries?

Communications surrounding the Olympics have highlighted the scale of the costs involved in organizing the Games in France: 9 billion euros. On this point, the main debate is how much the event will cost taxpayers. Then there’s the question of what will happen to the infrastructure built at great expense.
But another question is never asked. Yet it goes to the very heart of the spirit of the Olympic Games: the important thing is not to win but to participate.
France was awarded the Olympic Games in 2017. For 7 years, this it spent 9 billion euros on this three-week event.
Officially, the low number of athletes from developing countries is explained by a lack of sufficiently skilled participants. Lack of infrastructure and budget for sport are the main reasons given.
If France had been true to its motto of "Patrie des Droits de l’Homme", it should have devoted part of this sum to help remedy these causes. If only 1 billion euros had been used for this noble task, there is no doubt that the number of participants from developing countries would have been much higher. This billion represented just over 10% of the money spent on the organization of these three weeks.
But this was not the case.
So the Paris 2024 Olympics were a mirror of the inequalities caused by colonization and capitalism. It is the illustration of an old system at the end of its tether, already overtaken by the dynamics of a new era driven in particular by the BRICS.

M.M.