(Very) long term readers might remember that, not long after the London 2012 Olympics, I announced that I had created a Facebook page called Brits for Paris 2024. I reasoned that, if we Londoners had to endure all that crap, so should the French. More to the point, though, I wanted to see how our neighbours would show theirselves off, were they given the opportunity. The opening and closing ceremonies of London 2012 had blown me away: we had triumphed before the entire world, with turns from Mr. Bean, Monty Python and James Bond. Knowing how proud the French are of their capital city, as well as how artistically minded they can be, I was very curious to see what they would do in response.

It looks like we’ll find out on Friday. To be honest I can’t wait: frankly, I expect something spectacular; anything less than mindblowing will probably be a disappointment, given how the London opening ceremony made me feel twelve years ago. How will Paris show itself off? How might it use it’s upcoming ceremonies to reveal itself to the world? What statements could it make about French culture? Either way, with just days to go until the games begin, you can probably expect me to return to this subject quite a bit.