THE opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris was like baking a soufflé in the rain. Even French expertise could not make it rise.

The French, defying convention, decided not to hold the inaugural ceremony in a stadium. They used the Seine, its ornate bridges and the iconic Eiffel Tower instead. The French should have consulted the British. In 2012, they ignored the Thames. Rain has ruined many a royal regatta.

A century has passed since Parisians last hosted the Olympics. In 1924, 3,089 athletes took part, of them 2,954 men and 135 women. In 2024, there are 11,040 competitors, half of whom are female.

Athletes compete as countries and also as members of National Olympic Committees. This year, there are 206 such NOCs — an insidious ruse by which the IOC will decide which country to admit and which to punish.

There is only so much you can do with a river of flowing water.

The Olympics imitate the power politics of the UN. In 1964, South Africa was exclu­ded for its apartheid against blacks. In 1972, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) was excluded for its racist policies. In 2000, Afghanistan was excluded from Sydney for its misogynist policies.

In both 2016 and 2020, the IOC banned Russian athletes from........

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