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When it comes to numbers at the Olympic Games, it’s hard to beat the medal table. It is the latter that governs the world hierarchy. But as we close the 33rd modern Olympiad, let’s take a step back and look back at an exceptional fortnight in a few slightly crazy figures.

4,000 viennoiseries, 600 baguettes and 3,000 muffins served every day

Sport aside, this was surely one of the areas in which France was most eagerly awaited, to live up to its reputation and treat the taste buds of athletes from all over the world. In the Olympic Village, the figures are dithyrambic. Every day, 4,000 pastries were eaten. 600 baguettes devoured. And 3,000 muffins swallowed. On social networks, the athletes were full of praise for the work of the teams led by Tony Doré, the in-house pastry chef.

7 wedding proposals

France, the land of gastronomy. And Paris, the city of love. If the “Hymne à l’amour” resounded in the preamble to these Games, the athletes were well inspired on the eve of the Opening Ceremony. Argentine handball player Pablo Simonet got the ball rolling by proposing to Pilar Campoy, a hockey player from the same delegation. Six others followed. These included a double proposal in Marseille from skippers Charline Picon and Sarah Steyaert, who had just won bronze.

743,000 spectators on 30 July alone

It’s a record-breaking day. 26 disciplines and nine finals. For France, the day was marked by a bronze medal for Clarisse Agbégnénou and a silver medal for the women’s epee fencing team. In total, more than 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympic Games by spectators from 222 different countries.

80 kilometres of hot dogs sold at competition venues

Rest assured, they were sold individually. But put together, the 400,000 hot dogs sold at the competition and celebration sites represent 80 kilometres. That’s more than two laps of the Paris ring road. Or the equivalent of twenty round trips between the athletes’ village and the Stade de France. Of these, 100,000 were vegetarian.

91 kilos of Eiffel Tower for the athletes

Once again, it’s time to get out the calculators. In a fortnight, 5084 gold, silver and bronze medals have been distributed. Each one contains precisely 18 grams of the Eiffel Tower. This feat was made possible by the Eiffel Tower’s operating company, which had kept a large piece of the monument from one of its renovations.

49.5, Teddy Riner’s height to crown France’s judo champion

2.04 metres, 140 kilos and a magical right foot that delivered the decisive ippon. On Saturday 3 August, the French judo mixed team was in trouble before embarking on a terrible comeback. Teddy Riner brought the match to a thrilling conclusion.

11 seconds for an unforgettable choreography

The French rugby sevens team set the tone from day one. Crowned Olympic champions for the first time in the history of French rugby, Antoine Dupont’s team were the first to make the rounds of the celebration sites and the media. Each time, Les Bleus performed a strange choreography, which they had rehearsed with dancers from the Moulin Rouge during their preparations.

45,000 iconic bobs

They were everywhere. All the time. With their smiles, their information and their iconic bobbles. The 45,000 volunteers, spread all over France, contributed to the great success of these Olympic Games. Under the Parisian sun, their headgear was useful in many ways. To identify them and, above all, to ask them how to get one… All you had to do was volunteer!