France to bid final farewell to Paris Olympics 2024 with Champs-Elysees parade

France is to bid a final and reluctant farewell to the Paris Olympics on Saturday with a parade on the ChampsElysees followed by a concert featuring artists from the opening and closing ceremoniesThe final event of a highly acclaimed summer of sport has been organised at the behest of President Emmanuel Macron who is set to decorate many of Frances medal winners with the countrys top award the Legion dHonneurAround 4000 police are expected on duty with the security services facing one final test after winning almost unanimous praise for the way they kept the Games and their 12 million spectators safeAround 70000 people have applied for free tickets for the parade of athletes volunteers and public sector workers on Saturday which will be followed by music on a stage that has been erected all around the Arc de Triomphe monumentWere delighted to be able to offer another great moment to celebrate the France teams athletes at a strategic location chief organiser Tony Estanguet told reporters on FridayWe are going to really try to finish this adventure in the most beautiful wayThe 46yearold said he still cant quite believe that its overAfter months of gloom and selfdoubt in the runup to the start of the Olympics on July 26 Paris and the country at large threw themselves into the spirit of the Games embracing new national sporting heroes such as swimmer Leon Marchand along the way The French team finished with a record medals haul of 64 including 16 golds securing fifth place on the tableThe Paralympic Games from August 28September 8 were hailed as the most spectacular ever by the head of the International Paralympic Committee Andrew ParsonsLast week Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo called the events an enchanted period and urged people not to return to the sad passions of daily life She was referring to the morose national mood and selfdoubt in France before the Olympics made worse by snap parliamentary elections called by Macron in June that produced a hung parliament and ongoing political instabilityEscapismAnalysts say the Games served as a form of escapism for many French people as well as generating a rare form of national union and pride but the effects are not expected to last longWe need to respond to this spirit of the Games of this national harmony that was expressed Macron told the Parisien newspaper on FridayThe embattled leader is keen to take advantage of the afterglow of the Games and has announced his intention to create an Olympicsinspired national day of sport every year on September 14We need to spend time together at a day of sport which would take place in the street schools in dedicated sports centres he told the ParisienSaturday nights concert will feature singer Chris formerly of Christine amp the Queens who performed at the Paralympics opening ceremony as well as blind Malian duo Amadou amp Mariam among othersAround 300 French athletes and parathletes will take part in the parade which will feature 7000800 people in total including volunteers and public sector workers such as refuse collectorsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever