Paris Olympics: We'll always have Paris: 10 viral moments that lit up the Olympics | News about the 2024 Paris Olympics

Every now and then we come across a film that everyone – from critics to audiences – agrees is cinematic perfection. For Bollywood, the film is probably Sholay, while Hollywood has Casablanca. From the plot to the acting, it is, as Homelander would say, “…perfect, down to the last detail.”

The film contains many lines of dialogue that have stood the test of time and are instantly recognizable even if you have not seen the film. Each line is deeply etched into the fabric of cinematic heritage.
There's “arrest the usual suspects,” a favorite phrase of the shamefully corrupt Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains), who also utters the highly quotable line, “I'm shocked, shocked that there's gambling going on here,” before quietly pocketing his earnings. There's Ilsa, played by Ingrid Bergman, who says, “Play it, Sam. Play while the time passes (often misquoted as “Play it again, Sam”).”

Rick Blaine (Humprey Bogart) also has some of the best lines, including “Of all the gin bars in all the cities in the world, she comes to mine,” “I'm looking at you, boy,” and “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
But honestly, what has stuck with us forever is Rick's assurance to Ilsa that no matter what happens, “We will always have Paris.” Like Rick and Ilsa, we will always have Paris 2024, the first real Summer Olympics. of the post-Covid era that will be remembered for the Memes as will be the case with the games.
Here are, in no particular order, our viral moments from the Olympic Games.

1) Catholic outrage

We live in an era of constant outrage, where the world could fall apart if the good people of X (the hellhole formerly known as Twitter) don't find something offensive and in poor taste. This year, it started with the opening ceremony, which many Catholics around the world – including born-again ones like Elon Musk – perceived as a mockery of Christians and wondered if the French had the Gauls (pun intended) to do the same to the Islamists.
Of course, they forget that this is a France where making fun of everything is a national pastime, where de Gaulle refused to throw Sartre in prison (they don't lock up Voltaire) and where the editors of a magazine were fired for cartoons (which only led them to draw even more offensive cartoons).

But as Dutch historian Walther Schoonenberg explained to interested listeners, the opening ceremony was not a mockery of the “Last Supper,” but a parody of the “Feast of the Gods” by Dutch painter Jan Hermansz van Bijlert.

2) Turkish John Wick

Was he a hitman drafted into the competition at the last minute? Did he start shooting after a messy divorce involving a dog? Yusuf Dikec is without a doubt the biggest shooting star of this year's Games, as the world and its little ones fell in love with his casual swag when he took silver in the 10m rifle mixed, the same event where Sarabjit and Manu Bhaker won bronze. Dikec's image, hand in pocket, no special equipment (except earmuffs) and casual energy, spawned thousands of memes.

Even the John Wick account agreed, saying, “Yeah,” reading it in Keanu Reeves’ iconic voice.
And just to clarify, Dikec is a long-time master marksman who served in the Turkish army, not someone who took up shooting to make up for a broken marriage or a lost dog.

3) Dancing in Breaking Bad

There's an old meme that says: If you can't do anything, you teach. If you can't teach, you teach sports. And if you can't teach sports, you get a PhD. And sometimes those who have a PhD represent their country at the Olympics.

Rachel McGunn, aka RayGun, a PhD student representing Australia in breakdancing, performed some pretty unique dance moves that didn't impress the judges and gave her zero points, but did give birth to a thousand memes. One columnist even read her PhD thesis and lost his mind, but regardless of what happens, we have to admire her courage to come up with this routine and then perform it for the world to see.

4) The pole vaulter

Sometimes our gifts can be a hindrance, as French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati learned when he treated his equipment with the same contempt as Pope Pius IX.

His fate (and his gift) was celebrated by all, so much so that a well-known adult website even offered him half a million dollars to showcase his gift. CamSoda vice president Daryn Parker reportedly sent Ammirati an offer letter outlining the deal and saying, “If it were up to me, I would reward you for what everyone else saw: your below-the-belt talent.”
Even the 21-year-old found it funny and posted: “You attract more attention with your package than with your performances.”

5) Snoop Dogg in Paris

Much like Wimbledon, where sometimes the crowd is more interesting than the event itself, legendary American rapper Snoop Dogg was everywhere at the Olympics: He performed a classic crip walk at the opening ceremony, watched a dressage competition with Martha Stewart in matching attire, and swam with Michael Phelps (“We go back like the backstroke”). Like every American on a European trip, Dogg even went to the Louvre, where he declared he was the twin brother of Leonardo Da Vinci's legendary creation and christened himself: “Tony Lisa.”

6) The floating surfer

There was a slight reminder of colonial history thanks to surfing in Tahiti, the political center of French Polynesia, France's only overseas country. Colonial-era horrors aside, Tahiti is home to the legendary Teahupo'o waves – which can reach up to 22 feet high – and will now forever be remembered as the most iconic Olympic image of all time.

The image is now seared into everyone's memory. Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina – captured by AFP photographer Jerome Brouillet – shows the surfer suspended in the air, seemingly above the water, his finger pointed to the sky like a messiah, with his surfboard at his side, somehow on the same axis as him. As far as Olympic images go, there is nothing more iconic than this one.

7) Swimsuit type

If something strange happens in your swimming pool, who do you call? The answer, Paris taught us, is “Swimsuit Guy.” There's a running joke that if you ever feel useless, remember that the Olympics have lifeguards, but their raison d'être was made clear when American swimmer Emma Weber's swim cap sank to the bottom of the pool. Enter: Swimsuit Guy, a gentleman in brightly colored swim trunks who dove to the bottom of the pool to retrieve her swim cap from Davy Jones' locker. After completing his task, he adjusted his pants and simply walked away: the hero we never knew we needed or deserved.

8) Muffin Man

While many athletes complained about the food and accommodation at the Olympic Games, one man in particular stood out: Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, who rated the chocolate chip muffin in the Olympic Village 11/10.

His taste feedback prompted several athletes to post their own reviews. Unfortunately, Muffin Man failed to qualify in any of his finals, but received a new alias.

9) “Shall we bow?”

Sport is often an expression of true achievement, as evidenced by the first ever all-black gymnastics podium. Brazil's Rebeca Andrade won gold ahead of Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles of the US team, who both bowed to the new queen because, as Biles put it, “It was just the right thing to do.”

It was reminiscent of the hilarious moment in

Avengers: Infinity War

when Colonel Rhodey aka War Machine convinces Bruce Banner to bow to Wakanda King T'Challa, who embarrasses Banner and tells him, “We don't do that around here.”

10) The Italian Job

Since 1896, it has been a tradition for Olympians to bite into their gold medals because the metal is malleable and leaves marks. However, since 1912, the medals have been a mix of silver and gold, meaning athletes can only leave their marks on the field, not on the medals.

Still, it's a tradition that lives on, and it's resulted in a pretty cute moment. Chinese gymnast Yaquin Zhou, who won silver in the women's balance beam, went viral after she didn't quite understand the concept of biting her medal. Zhou was standing there with her Italian counterparts biting their medals, and she wasn't quite sure what to do, but followed suit. To be honest, it's a cute twist to the tale that a Chinese woman would follow the Italians and copy their tradition, given the long-held misconception that Marco Polo brought noodles to Italy from China.