Above everything else, Paris 2024 was reaffirmation. After the subdued atmosphere of the last Olympics due to pandemic restrictions, Paris 2024 was reaffirmation of what an Olympics truly means – the larger-than-life spectacle of it all, the magical atmosphere, appreciation of sporting ability irrespective of nationality, and of course, the action that unfolded on court.

In keeping with this, it was interesting that Paris 2024 saw all pre-tournament favourites reaffirm their status as the best players of the current era. Viktor Axelsen, An Se Young, Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan and Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong were expected to win, and they did. There were few surprises.

The only category that no one could have predicted was men’s doubles, which had several pairs of comparable accomplishments. Even so, the top seeds (Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang) were in the final, and it took a superlative effort from defending champions Lee Yang/Wang Chi-Lin to beat them, in what was surely the match of the competition.

Lee/Wang had a brilliant campaign as they aced the Group of Death, prevailing over three top 10 pairs, before they got the better of the top two seeds in the semifinal and final.

What stood out over the first few days was the atmosphere, which heightened whenever French players were on court, with the crowd chanting songs and urging their players on. While all the home players gave a good account of themselves, it was Toma Junior Popov who unleashed a tidal wave of emotion as he upset Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in Group H.

Yet, all through the competition, even as the matches were hard fought, the crowd was sporting, cheering on players of all nations.

Popov’s was one of the few upsets of the competition. The first had happened on the opening day itself, with Maiken Fruergaard/Sara Thygesen tripping second seeds Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee. The only other upset of comparable magnitude was the all-Korean mixed doubles semifinal, which saw Kim Won Ho/Jeong Na Eun reach the biggest final of their career by outplayed world champions Seo Seung Jae/Chae Yu Jung.

There were, of course, other results that stood out, such as world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn’s decimation of top seed Shi Yu Qi, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung’s wins over Kim Ga Eun and Ratchanok Intanon, and Lee Zii Jia’s bronze medal comeback win over Lakshya Sen, among others.

Perhaps the scene that will most remain with fans from Paris 2024 was Carolina Marin, crying inconsolably after the recurrence of an injury that destroyed her hopes of a second Olympic gold. Cruising against He Bing Jiao in the semifinals, Marin’s injury showed the tragic side of sport, which is also an inherent part of it.

But there was solidarity too. Players hugged each other even after intense matches. He Bing Jiao’s gesture of carrying a Spanish pin on the podium in Marin’s tribute was one such moment that highlighted mutual respect that’s such a standout feature of badminton.