Parisians’ Olympic spirit not dampened – but grumbles remain

Ahead of the Olympics, some Parisians were grumbling. Security issues and overcrowding had been among locals’ top concerns in the preceding weeks, which were also an immensely turbulent period in the country’s politics.

Making matters worse was Friday’s wave of co-ordinated arson attacks on the French railway network that ruined the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of people.

But a vibrant opening ceremony and an early flurry of French medals have started to make many in the city optimistic.

And as the rain clouds clear,…