Sawt Falasteen - After months of grumbling, Parisians join the Olympics party

"My brother's coming back early because I told him it's brilliant," 42-year-old Morad Sahbani told AFP as he pushed a pram at a packed fanzone in northwest Paris where thousands of locals were cheering on French medal hopefuls.

"I knew it was going to be good. We French like to criticise ourselves a lot, but in the end we do it well," he added. "These Olympics have been a success... Lots of people regret not being here."

The mood has shifted noticeably in the capital since the rain-soaked opening ceremony on July 26, with better weather, spectacular venues and the emergence of new national sporting heroes like swimmer Leon Marchand helping spark national pride.

Many wealthy Parisians fled the city for long summer vacations in July, deliberately avoiding what they expected to be Olympic transport gridlock, tourist overload and a security crackdown.

But those who stayed say they are enjoying the relaxed summer vibes, the intermingling with foreign sports fans, as well as free entertainment for anyone unable to afford the often astronomical ticket prices.

Fanzones with giant screens are packed and around 160,000 people are booking slots each evening to see the Olympic cauldron rise near the Louvre museum for free.

The boisterous "Champions Park", an Olympics innovation that sees medallists greet the public after their events, has been packed out with 27,000 people daily.

"We've been really enjoying it," Celia Damase, a 41-year-old mother of two, said at the fanzone in the northwestern 17th district.

Her children have been making use of free sports activities put on by Paris authorities and "the city feels friendlier than usual," she said.

- Big crowds -

The concept for the Paris Games was to use the city as a stage and backdrop for the Olympics, rather than build new infrastructure at out-of-town locations, which was the model of many host cities in the past.

Much of the sport has taken place at temporary central locations, with skateboarding at the Place de la Concorde, fencing in the Grand Palais exhibition space, and beach volleyball in front of the Eiffel Tower.

"We don't need new stadiums," said Agathe Chaigneau, a 50-year-old Parisian art dealer as she crossed the gilded Alexandre III bridge, the start point for the triathlon and marathon swimming.

"They've turned the city into a giant stadium. It's marvellous," she added.

Inside and outside venues, athletes and reporters have been left startled by the enthusiasm of the crowds.

Benoit Arrault, an air conditioning technician, attended the rugby 7s where France won a first gold under talismanic captain Antoine Dupont at a packed 80,000-capacity national stadium.

"I've never known an atmosphere like it at a rugby game," the 43-year-old told AFP.

Around 500,000 people lined the streets for the cycling road race last weekend, while big crowds are expected again for the marathons on Saturday and Sunday.

French triathlon bronze medallist Leo Bergere said he had been surprised by the decibels as he ran through the city last week.

"It hurt our ears all the way round," he told reporters with a smile.

- 'Widespread scepticism' -

With the plaudits building up, organisers are enjoying the chance to remind their critics that they had confidence all along.

Throughout the build up, they had insisted that the worries and complaints were a normal part of the Olympics host city experience, while Games supremo Tony Estanguet also blamed a national tendency for pessimism.

Paris deputy mayor Pierre Rabadan reminded reporters this week that he had spent a lot of time defending the Olympics from "widespread scepticism".

"But we were convinced that we could produce this result," he said, saying the public enthusiasm city authorities had always believed in was "now a fact."

Not everything has gone to plan: the River Seine has regularly failed water quality tests, disrupting the triathlon.

The opening ceremony sparked a row about whether its artistic director had mocked Christianity with a drag queen dance routine.

Taxi drivers and restaurant owners say their businesses have been badly affected. The country still has no permanent government and political infighting surely awaits in September.

But for now, locals like Martine Pinto, a 46-year-old who runs a shop, are enjoying the moment.

"Everyone thought you wouldn't be able to move around, that transport would be difficult and in the end it's all fine. I think there are definitely people who regret leaving," she told AFP.

A.Suleiman--SF-PST