Paris Cultural Olympiad to showcase K-culture in leadup to Olympics

The Paris Cultural Olympiad is showcasing 2,300 programs during its run, featuring Korean culture and diverse events. From exhibitions at the Louvre to dance recitals, the Olympiad aims to unite art and sport.

Culture Minister Yu In-chon meets Dominique Hervieu, the director of the Paris Cultural Olympiad 2024, on May 2 at the Korean Cultural Center in Paris. [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

PARIS, France — Construction continues throughout the city of Paris while the clock ticks toward the start of the 2024 Olympic Games. Amid the hustle and bustle, the Paris Cultural Olympiad has been going on in different regions of France since summer 2022. The cultural event was developed to highlight the link between art and sport and the shared values between the two.

Some 2,300 programs will be presented until the Paralympic Games comes to an end on Sept. 8, and Korea has decided to join in this celebration, hoping to promote Korean culture in France — a country where “K-content is much loved and consumed,” said Culture Minister Yu In-chon.

Yu met up with Dominique Hervieu, the director of the Paris Cultural Olympiad 2024, on May 2, the opening day of “2024 Korea Season” — an event consisting of 34 cultural programs showcasing Korea throughout France over the next six months as part of the Paris Cultural Olympiad — at the Korean Cultural Center in Paris.

The Cultural Olympiad, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is a multidisciplinary artistic and cultural program of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and an official deliverable of the IOC. The hosting city of the Games is to hold the Cultural Olympiad from the end of the previous Paralympic Games until the end of the following Paralympic Games in its own city. Though the Paralympic Games in Tokyo came to an end on Sept. 5, 2021, Paris could not kick off its cultural events until the summer of 2022 due to the pandemic. Despite already starting since then, Paris' Cultural Olympiad will launch most of its events from May 20 to July 20, according to Hervieu.

“I am certainly excited about the Games but I’m very much looking forward to witnessing and participating in adding artistic creations to sports, and knowing that this culture is at the heart of the Games,” said Yu during the meeting.

Hervieu said the goal of the Paris Cultural Olympiad is to “show France's creativity and rich cultural assets and to create a cultural platform where the values of the Games, sports and art come together.”

Some of the programs highlighted by Hervieu include the “Olympism: Modern Invention, Ancient Legacy” exhibition currently showing at the Louvre, where visitors can discover “how and in what political context the first modern Olympic Games came into being in the late 19th century, the iconographic sources on which they were based, and how the organizers set out to recreate the sporting competitions of ancient Greece."

On selected mornings from 8 a.m., a physical preparation session combining a guided tour, dance and sports training is also being held at the Louvre until May 31. The sessions involve light movements to stimulate your body and start your day with a mild sweat.

Hervieu also referred to a dance program where ballet dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet and hip-hop dancers showcased collaborative performances over two days. The shows were offered for free, as is the case for 82 percent of the programs in the Paris Cultural Olympiad. Tickets for this event sold out in just three hours.

Hervieu, a choreographer and dancer, directed both the Maison de la danse and the Biennale de la danse in Lyon. She said she is especially excited that breakdancing is making a debut at the Paris Games. She also met with Korean reporters a couple of hours after Yu for a press conference and added that there will be an exciting program on July 20. The Centre Culturel Coréen en France, otherwise known as the Korean Cultural Center in Paris, will participate in the program.

“I know that Korea is well-known for not only its traditional dances with beautiful costumes but also doing great in breakdancing,” she said.

One of the upcoming events on July 20 is something to look forward to, said Hervieu. It involves several cultural centers of different countries, including the Korean Cultural Center. Visitors will tour the centers and learn about the different games enjoyed in each country. At the Korea Cultural Center, a special exhibition on traditional Korean games will take place. A karaoke machine will be installed to add to the fun, the center said.

“K-pop is really popular in Paris and has become a strong culture among young Parisians today,” said Hervieu, adding that she is glad that Korea could take part in showcasing its diverse culture when the interest in Korean music, webtoons, drama series, food and dance is at an all-time high.

“Visitors from around the world will definitely be allowed to enjoy the programs for the Paris Cultural Olympiad to the fullest, especially during the Games, as many of the venues for the Games are located not at the outskirts of the city, like many of the other hosting cities, but in the heart of Paris,” said Hervieu. “It’ll be easy for them to just drop by at a program that interests them after watching a game.”

Hervieu explained to Yu that this is why her team is currently in the process of creating a website and a mobile application that includes an interactive map that allows you to discover events close by.

“We hope some 16 million visitors to the Games use the map and fully enjoy the programs we have prepared,” she said.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]