In a park by the canal edge in Saint-Denis, Laken Lima sat in a deckchair at an Olympic fan zone watching the taekwondo on a big screen, as tourists and locals mingled in a party atmosphere in this banlieue town on Paris's northern border. I've been so pleasantly surprised by the Olympics, said the 38-year-old local health coach. It has been magical, we've been blown away. Lima was one of more than 4.5 million people who have flocked to watch giant screens at fan zones and free community events across France over the past two weeks as the country hails these Games as a monumental success.
The Paris Olympics has broken records not just for ticket sales 9.4m but also for TV viewing figures. The opening ceremony was the most-watched TV event in French history, with more than 24 million viewers. France has also exceeded expectations in the medal table hoping to finish in the top five, thanks to gold medals in sports ranging from fencing and judo to surfing and BMX racing.
But perhaps the biggest victory has been the Olympic feelgood factor. The country is riding high on joy and togetherness after the tense mood around a snap parliament election that was called by Emmanuel Macron just before the Games to try to counter the surging far right, but which has laid bare France's stark political and class divides.
More than the beautiful Eiffel Tower backdrops, the Olympic legacy and lasting impact of this feelgood factor will be judged in the Paris banlieue or suburbs in places such as Saint-Denis. It is in these neighbourhoods that the only permanent new buildings were constructed the Olympic village and the aquatics centre. The Games promised to accelerate regeneration in the broader departement of Seine-Saint-Denis, one of the poorest in France, whose young, multi-ethnic population has historically faced discrimination but is now seen
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