A year ago, Paris was transformed into a world stage vibrating to the rhythm of the 2024 Olympic Games. If nostalgia is strong and memories are still well anchored, several striking elements of this unique event continue to mark the capital. Summary: the iconic rider’s outfit, behind the scenes of the budget, the symbolism of the Olympic cauldron, the fingerprint of the Games and the future of the Olympic village in the fall of 2025.
1. What happens to the Olympic Village?
Among the most tangible legacies left by the Games, the Olympic Village occupies a special place. Designed as an ephemeral place to welcome delegations from around the world, it has become a symbol of urban reconversion. Where, just a year ago, the world’s greatest athletes, like Simone Biles, were sleeping in a village vibrating with Olympic energy, it is now families and students who are taking over.
The Olympic Village is ready to accommodate 2,800 housing units, nearly a third of which will be dedicated to social housing.
The Seine‑Saint‑Denis Olympic Village is becoming a sustainable and supportive place to live. Transformed into a new eco-district for fall 2025, it is ready to accommodate 2,800 housing units, nearly a third of which will be dedicated to social housing. Offices are also planned and an annex of the Ministry of the Interior should be installed there by 2027. And it does not stop there, equipment and services are planned to complete this future district. The Saint-Denis town hall plans to create a nursery, a school group, a restaurant, a performance hall and shops on the ground floor of the buildings. Isn’t it impressive to be able to stay in a place full of memories and history like this?
2. Billions invested and a Seine rediscovered
The budget has long been one of the major debates of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Announced at 4.4 billion euros, it ended up tripling. A spectacular drift, but one accepted by the organizers. According to The Worldthe unexpected surplus at the end of the day is 76 million euros.
But behind the colossal figures and the budgetary controversies, the legacy of the Games takes a tangible form… One year after the excitement of the Games, Paris is measuring the concrete impact of its Olympic bet with the Seine as a strong symbol of this transformation. Long considered impassable, even dangerous for swimming, it was the subject of a vast decontamination project estimated at more than 1.5 billion euros. Thanks to this historic effort, three developed beaches will open in the summer of 2025. Swimming in the heart of Paris is finally possible for the general public. This is where the Olympic legacy takes on its full meaning: a city which is not content to have shone in the spotlight, but which is lastingly transforming its daily life.
3. Visible remains: the flame at the Tuileries and the markings in the city
You certainly haven’t missed the return of the strong symbol of the 2024 Olympic Games: the cauldron. Since June 21, 2025, she has returned to the Tuileries gardens. Full of meaning, it continues to bring together all those who thrilled during the 2024 Games, and those who have not yet had the chance to see it. Until September 14, 2025, she rekindles the flame of memories every evening. From the heights of Montmartre, the banks of the Seine or the avenues of the Louvre, you can see it overlooking the city.
The Olympic cauldron is preparing to return to the sky of the Louvre Gardens
And if you keep your eyes peeled while walking around Paris, you can still see some discreet but moving traces of the Games: “Paris 2024” markings painted on the ground, particularly on certain cycle paths. Like a wink left by the event. An example? Meet at the end of Pont des Invalides, in the 7th arrondissement.
4. The fingerprint of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
One year after the Paris Games, another victory is emerging: that of digital technology and social networks. Paris 2024 followed by five billion people around the world, and equaling Rio 2016, becomes one of the most watched editions in history. Each spectator spent an average of nine hours watching the competitions, according to a study by the Jean Jaurès foundation.But it is on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube that the emotion has changed scale. Sport has been transformed into a story, behind the scenes, into a total spectacle: the sportainment.
Here are some figures to illustrate the consecration of the sportainment : 850 million is the number of unique users that Youtube has gathered. The platform represents more than 35% of time spent on connected televisions. As for Instagram and TikTok, in the first week of the Games, a billion users were recorded. Behind-the-scenes content saw 20% more engagement than traditional content.
Between them, Léon Marchand and Simone Biles have generated millions of new subscribers and tens of millions of interactions.
On TikTok, more than 77 million videos were made during the Games. The public has become an actor in the event, at the crossroads of sport and digital emotion. Ultimately, the Paris Games not only left their mark on the screens, they redefined the way we experience sport.
@laura_tremble Olympic Vlog ❤️🔥 The first in a long series, go behind the scenes of my Olympic Games 💪🏼 #olympics #paris2024 #sportstiktok #roadtoparis #artisticswimming #artisticswimming #openingceremony ♬ son original – laura_tremble
5. The rider of the 2024 Olympic Games is still in Paris
Lepetitjournal.com went to the Palais Galliera to discover an exceptional exhibition presenting the equestrian outfit worn during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Breastplate, poacher, bodysuit, underpants, gloves, thigh boots, flag are all brought together in the exhibition Fashion in motion #3.
It was Jeanne Friot and leather artisan Robert Mercier who designed one of the most emblematic silhouettes of the opening ceremony. Embodying Joan of Arc and Sequana, goddess of the Seine, this rider symbolizes both peace and the Olympic spirit. Two identical models were worn: one on the mechanical horse going down the river, the other for the presentation of the Olympic flag at the Trocadéro.
Jeanne Friot, after studying at the Duperré School of Applied Arts and then at the French Fashion Institute, launched her brand in 2020 with queer, non-gendered, inclusive and eco-responsible creations. In particular, it uses fabrics from dormant stocks and upcycled materials, such as belt buckles recovered for the rider’s outfit for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
This is the first room you discover upon entering. It sets the tone for what awaits you next. In July 2024 this outfit appeared on your screens. In July 2025 come and admire it in real life. A little nostalgia never hurts…
