On Thursday evening, on the eve of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, heads of state from around the world and personalities gathered for an exceptional dinner with Emmanuel Macron under the Louvre pyramid.
On the eve of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, an exceptional dinner was organized by the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, under the Louvre Pyramid. This meal has been a tradition since the Sochi Games in 2014.
The feast was orchestrated by Alain DucasseThe chef is used to prestigious meals: he organized the one between François Hollande and Xi Jinping at Versailles in 2014, the one between Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin at the same place in 2017 or the one between the couples Trump and Macron at the Eiffel Tower the same year. The dinner was preceded by the “Sport and Sustainable Development” summit at the Louvre as well, which aimed, according to the Élysée, to highlight “the importance of sport as a vector of progress”.
Among the 500 guests, many heads of state were present, such as Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Joe Biden, who was absent, was represented by his wife Jill. While Vladimir Putin was not invited, the Chinese president had received an invitation card, but preferred to send his vice-president Han Zheng.
A feast with distinguished guests and under high surveillance
French political figures were also at the table this Thursday. Stéphane Séjourné, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, Minister of Sports, were seen as well as Valérie Pécresse and François Hollande. Emmanuel Macron would have, according to the JDDpushed aside his Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal. The president of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, was also at the party.
Several faces of European royalty also made the trip. Albert II of Monaco, FeLip VI of Spain, King Frederik Princess Anne, sister of King Charles III, or King Philippe of Belgium were seen at the Louvre. Among the sports personalities were Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee, accompanied by Jean-François Lamour and David Douillet.
The dinner was held under heavy surveillance: 300 officers from the protection service were mobilized for the heads of state. The waiters, cooks and agents were scanned from head to toe.