Athletes, organisers cheer the return of fans in Paris

PARIS : Athletes and organisers are enjoying a more normal Olympics in Paris, with competitors welcoming family and fans in the stands after a pair of COVID-hit Games flattened the atmosphere and spending.

The pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics - staged in 2021 - banned spectators, while the Beijing 2022 Winter Games offered tickets for events to a select few, creating a muted tone, with organisers and host cities left to lament lost revenue.

The atmosphere in Paris is totally different, having started with a rain-soaked opening ceremony played out to hundreds of thousands of attendees and fans queued in long lines to grab a piece of "Paris 2024" merchandise.

For returning Olympians, Paris offers the Games as they once knew them.

"One of the nicest feelings about being in Paris is that we can have the audience," said British gymnast Max Whitlock, whose five-year-old daughter Willow made the journey for his fourth Games.

"Willow can watch an Olympic Games for real, rather than watching videos. That means a lot to me."

Maddie Musselman, who won gold with the U.S. water polo team in 2016 and in Tokyo, even welcomed the sound of opposing fans this time.

"Going to the Tokyo Olympics and not having anyone out there cheering us on - it was very quiet," she told reporters.

"Having not only family and friends, but other fans for other teams, just to kind of create that atmosphere makes the Olympic Games so special."

DIFFERENT SCENE

The scene could not be more different for Canada's Ramon Liendo, who was in Paris to watch his son, swimmer Joshua, compete after trying various livestreams to watch the Tokyo competition.

"We had family Zooming into anyone's live feed," said Liendo, who was feted along with other Olympic families and friends