Paris faces the test this week of launching the Olympic Games safely and affordably at a time of war, political polarization and social unrest.
It¡¯s not a done deal, though. Heavy-handed security barriers and COVID-style QR codes are already infuriating residents and tourists trying to navigate a River Seine that¡¯s been cleaned at great expense.
Yet the real challenge will begin once the athletes have packed up and gone home. The world¡¯s greatest city (okay, Top Five) must complete its gold-medal transformation into something greater: A megalopolis that binds the hipsters, financiers and flaneurs of historic, densely populated Paris to the sprawling regional economy where many Olympic events will actually take place.
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