The President of the Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee said a series of records had colored the world’s biggest sporting event this year. This was explained directly by Tony Estanguet at the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Sunday (11/8/2024). The man who serves as the Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee said there were records for the number of spectators, attendance levels, and decibel levels.
However, among the records he mentioned, there was one that was unique. “A new record that is very close to our hearts, the most marriage proposals ever at the Olympics,” said Estanguet while giving a speech at the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, reported by NBC News. “This feeling of hope, inspiration, and love will remain,” said the former canoe athlete who won gold medals at the Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, and London 2012 Olympics.
The label of Paris as a romantic city is getting stronger along with the many moments of proposing to their partners. One of the romantic stories in the city of Paris was experienced by Chinese badminton player, Huang Ya Qiong. Shortly after securing a gold medal in the mixed doubles event, Huang Ya Qiong was proposed to by her lover who is also a badminton athlete from China in the men’s doubles event, Liu Yu Chen.
“For me, the proposal was very surprising because I was preparing myself for the match,” Huang Ya Qiong told the Associated Press on August 2, 2024. “Today I am an Olympic champion and I am being proposed to, so it was something I didn’t expect,” she added.
The commitment to being bound by marriage was also conveyed by Argentine hockey athlete, Maria Campoy, to her lover who is a handball player, Pablo Simonet. “The woman in my life said ‘yes’,” wrote the handball player in an Instagram post on July 24, 2024. “In a dream place, where everything comes from and where we fight hard to be like this,” he wrote again.
French female steeplechaser Alice Finot also experienced a romantic moment. She decided to propose to her crush, Spanish triathlon athlete Bruno Martinez Bargiela. “I told myself that if I run under nine minutes, because I know that nine is my lucky number and we have been together for nine years, then I will propose,” said Finot as reported by the official Olympic website.
The 33-year-old athlete was fourth in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. However, she managed to break the European steeplechase record with a time of 8 minutes 58.67 seconds. Because of that, Finot then gave a pin to Bruno Martinez Bargiela. On the pin was written “Love is in Paris”.
