47° Nord – Talk & Meet-and-Greet with Tony Estanguet
Mardi
Tuesday, March 31, 2026 — ///
Talk & Meet-and-Greet with Tony Estanguet for the book Par amour du sport (published by Calmann-Lévy)
Registration: starting March 17
More detailed information coming soon.
Hosted by: Antoine JARRY & Alexis WEIGEL
Book presentation:
“The story of Paris 2024 Summer Olympics began more than ten years ago. We were 6, then 50, then 4,000 and, when Céline Dion began singing Hymne à l’amour on the evening of July 26, 2024, we were millions.
It’s the story of a collective victory. That of a major project that forced us to work together and to place ourselves at the service of something greater than ourselves. It’s a story that tells much more than the organization of a single edition of the Games, and that’s why I wanted to share it.
With Paris 2024, our country had the boldness to imagine things that had never been done before: the first opening ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games held outside a stadium, the first Games at the heart of a city, the first marathon open to everyone, the first Champions Park, the first supporter zones, the first flying cauldron…
At a moment when the whole world was watching us, we rediscovered our joy of living and our ability to accomplish great things.
We rediscovered the France that sings, the France that dances, the France that talks to one another, the France that loves one another.
We were proud. Proud of our athletes, proud of our heritage, proud of our artists, proud of our flair, proud of our diversity, proud to be French.”
The immense success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games would not have been possible without the personality of Tony Estanguet—a rare blend of determination and humility. Without the values he learned in his family of nature lovers and in the small sports club in the Pyrenees where he grew up. Without what he learned on the river: that the movement of water is unpredictable, and it must be used rather than resisted. Without what he learned as an athlete: nothing great is achieved by simply repeating what has already been done.
Tony Estanguet rarely opens up about himself. But the worldwide enthusiasm surrounding these Games inspired him to share his Olympic adventure. He takes us behind the scenes of that summer when France became unstoppable.
