In January 2023 I signed up for the Paris Olympics ticket ballot. In May 2023 my account (well, my mum’s rather) was chosen in the ballot on the first day. There I booked tickets for a plethora of Olympic events, beginning with a men’s group stage football match in Parc Des Princes in Paris on the unofficial first day of the Olympics and ending with an athletics session in Stade de France on one of the final days of the games, over two weeks later.

Considering tickets were sold around a year before the schedule of which athletes/teams were competing in each event was released, I would say I struck lucky. My first football match was announced as Spain versus Uzbekistan. This at the time prompted a thought of, “I get to watch the Euro’s 2024 runners-up!”, but that may have jinxed England a little.

Still, I defiantly donned my England Euro’s shirt as I made my way to the famous stadium. My view was remarkably fantastic, right behind the goal which would soon become very important during game-play. People with the Spanish flag painted on their face filed in, yet what surprised me the most was the immense contingency of Uzbek supporters. My heart warmed as I considered how much this match meant to its fans, who had flown across the world on not a great amount of notice to support their home team. Suddenly entire groups clothed in blue and white erupted with noise, chanting loudly, even banging drums. I knew then I was in for an incredibly lively match.

“My heart warmed as I considered how much this match meant to its fans, who had flown across the world on not a great amount of notice to support their home team”

Far from being a one-sided match, Uzbekistan fought valiantly. Suddenly, in extra time of the first half, the stadium fell silent; then it was set ablaze with cheers: a penalty for Uzbekistan. I somehow found myself nervously filming as Shomurodov readied himself to take the penalty. I can only compare the video I have of that penalty to ones from concerts where you can very clearly hear your own out-of-tune wailing. The penalty was in; it was 1-1 at half-time. The second half brought yet another flurry of yellow cards, until Gomez scored, giving Spain the 2-1 lead which would eventually win them the match, to the heartbreak of many.

So the side which was expected to win, won. But this match was so much more than that. It gave me an insight into the hearts of fans who don’t have as many opportunities to support their home team as places like England, Spain, France do, and hence the value of a chance like this to watch them play. It gave me a newfound appreciation for the sport, from the perspective of a spectator watching for pure enjoyment, not one hopelessly singing “It’s coming home” for the hundredth time. In fact, the experience was so incredible that it inspired me to buy tickets for the Argentina versus Ukraine match in Stade de Lyon, to go out into a shop and buy my own giant British flag and pose in front of the Olympic rings at Stade De France. It inspired me to be more like those Uzbek supporters, and support the British teams no matter their chances.

“I felt like I - along with the entire nation of France - had changed, swept away by the beauty of the Olympics”

This football match kicked off what turned out to be one of the most special experiences of my life. The city of Paris was buzzing with the Olympic spirit. What made it even more unique was how accessible all the events and stadiums were to the public. My Olympic experience was beyond attending the swimming, gymnastics, athletics, water polo sessions I had tickets for, as incredible as they were. The city had opened huge fan zones, where people could come together to celebrate their team winning, to watch the competitions together on big screens, to try out new sports.

My personal favourite fan zone was Trocadero, the “Champions Park”. Situated right in front of the Eiffel Tower, Trocadero was a place where the public could meet the athletes, with the medal winners of the day parading on a stage that afternoon as the crowd cheered them on. Never would I have imagined that I would come that close to the Brazilian gymnastics superstar Rebecca Andrade , or our GB women’s bronze-medal winning synchro diving team. I am sure the lady next to me displaying a giant Chile flag had a spiritual experience when one of her favourite athletes grabbed her phone and took a selfie with her.

As I said goodbye to Paris after my final athletics session, after two weeks of non-stop joy, I felt like I - along with the entire nation of France - had changed, swept away by the beauty of the Olympics. As cliche as it sounds, there is nothing quite like seeing people from all around the world uniting to celebrate, to discover new sports, new passions. The curtains closed on what I thought was an extremely successful Olympics on 11th August, and the end was bittersweet, to say the least. What is left for me now is to work out how to get the time off from university to attend the winter Olympics in Milan in February 2026. Some would say this may have begun an obsession.