The World, “L’Amour” and Sports in Paris Olympics 2024 | The Freeman

From 26 July to 11 August, Paris, France will officially host the 2024 Summer

Olympics. About 10,672 athletes from 196 nations will compete for gold, silver, and bronze in their respective sports.

International artists as well are in Paris for this occasion.

Celine Dion’s stunning, unforgettable live performance of a French love song - L’Hymne A l’Amour - at the iconic Parisian landmark, the Eiffel Tower, will be one difficult to match, ever.

Why this love song?

Artistic director Thomas Jolly told Reuters, “we all wanted to finish the show with this song and our first idea was very simple and clear. We wanted to ask the best singer to sing love and this is Celine Dion.”

Celine’s message: “I’m honored to have performed tonight, for the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony, and so full of joy to be back in one of my very favorite cities! Most of all, I’m so happy to be celebrating these amazing athletes, with all their stories of sacrifice and determination, pain and perseverance. All of you have been so focused on your dream, and whether or not you take home a medal, I hope that being here means that it has come true for you! You should all be so proud, we know how hard you have worked to be the best of the best. Stay focused, keep going, my heart is with you!”

Aware of Celine’s own battle with Stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that caused muscle spasms which led her to cancel her tours for 2023 and 2024, accolades poured in from all over the world for Celine- “the gold winner for vocal athletes."

Our own Filipino athletes are also there, pursuing their dreams for themselves, their families as well as for our country.

Carlos Yulo is there together with a Filipino-British gymnast, Jake Jarman, whose mother is from Cebu. Both qualified for the finals of the same events - floor exercise and vault.

Cebu athletes Elreen Ando and John Febuar Ceniza will be competing for the the weightlifting category.

Attention and hope are pinned on Cagayan de Oro’s Carlo Paalam, nicknamed “Pipi Lata” or “tin-can crusher” because as a child, he worked as a garbage scavenger. When he was 9, local sports officials spotted him when he joined a weekly boxing match to win some