As Olympics approach, French Church hosts ‘Holy Games’

In the run-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, opening on July 26, the “Holy Games” project, launched for the occasion by the French bishops and the Archdioceses of Paris, is gaining momentum with a growing number of events on the theme of “sport and faith.”

Lay French communicator Arnaud Bouthéon has been working on this project since 2021. He is an expert in creating major missionary events within the Church and is passionate about sports.

“I have done a lot of work in the sports business,” he explained to OSV News. “And I have been interested in the links between sport and faith for years.”

Bouthéon wrote a book on this theme, titled “Like an Athlete of God.” 

“I like to use sports imagery to illustrate Christian virtues when I talk to young people. Sport is akin to spiritual combat,” he said. “St. Paul used the metaphor of the athlete to encourage Christians — exactly like a coach seeks to stimulate his players.”

Bouthéon recounted the beginning of the Holy Games story. 

“We met with the International Olympic Committee at a very early stage,” he said. “We introduced ourselves, saying that as the Catholic Church, we wanted to help mobilize people around this joyful project of unity. We were very well received.”

The Holy Games responded to an IOC request for a chaplaincy in the Olympic Village, which will welcome over 10,000 athletes July 26-Aug. 11. A vast 4,300-square-foot structure has been designed north of Paris to accommodate representatives of the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist faiths. Some 40 specially trained Catholic chaplains, who love sport, will take turns being on duty for the duration of the Olympic Games.

The demand for spiritual assistance during the Games is high. Requests exceeded 8,000 in the pre-pandemic Games, The Associated Press reported, ranging from mental health concerns to a pre-competition blessing to coping with a sudden death in the family back home.

Each religion received 538 square feet of the tent-like structure — a venue with a basic mandate to welcome athletes and provide worship information.

But it’s not only about chaplaincy. The Holy Games project also worked to encourage parishes close to emblematic Olympic sites to open their doors “in a fraternal and festive atmosphere” to 15 million to 20 million visitors and sports fans, Bouthéon said.