Sharmistha Gooptu in Paris
I set out this morning to visit yet another fan zone to do my Paris Diary segment. Saint Sulpice is a hallowed piece of French history. A mediaeval church with its first foundation in the twelfth century; it was built up during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and is one of the largest churches in Paris, after Notre Dame. And true to the spirit of integrating the Games into the very heart of Parisian life, a fan zone has been set up in the forecourt of the church, just ahead of a magnificent marble fountain with stone lions.
It had rained in the morning and the play zones for mini golf, table tennis, badminton and basketball looked freshly washed. Although it was a working day, some people had still come in to try a bit of fun and games there. Others were having lunch around midday on the steps of the church, across from the forecourt which seemed like their regular spot. Some seniors sat around watching the Paralympics on a giant screen.
This spot, while it lasts, is a happy space. There’s a spillover from the church into the fan zone and I notice more people trickling in, as I sit on the steps of the church to send my feed for the story.
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It strikes me, as I read a bit more on Saint Sulpice, why this fan area is so very Parisian in spirit, tucked away inside the premises of a mediaeval church. The church of Saint Sulpice is one of the Parisian sites that appeared in the Hollywood film Da Vinci Code – visited by the priest Silas in search of the Holy Grail. That is a mystery, myth and a rich history intertwined with the fan culture of the Paris Games – the Olympics and now the Paralympics.
For anybody who is visiting Paris, the Games are a slice of the city. And the city a slice of the Games. The two men trying their hand at mini golf seemed like tourists who had wandered into the fan zone. These Games will leave their imprint for a lot of people who did not go into the stadiums or keep a medal count. The Games would have had a larger impact if more people thought of Paris as a place of culture, history and multi-sport.
Also Read: Sumit on Fire at Stade de France and all drama of last evening’s athletics amphitheatre