5 sports films to see before the Paris Olympics

In this Olympic year, Paris Select has selected for you the top 5 must-see sports films before the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games .

For baseball fans: Bennett Miller’s The Strategist

Discover the fascinating world of baseball with Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland Athletics. Faced with colossal financial challenges compared to the major league franchises, Beane and his assistant decided to adopt a revolutionary statistical approach known as sabermetrics. Their bold goal: to build a competitive team on a limited budget. An inspiring story of determination, ingenuity and passion for the sport, promising twists and turns on and off the pitch.

For figure skating fans: Me, Tonya by Craig Gillespie

This captivating biopic tells the tumultuous story of American skater Tonya Harding. From her childhood in Portland, the young woman took up figure skating. Despite his undeniable talent, his performances were hampered by judges unimpressed by his style and unconventional musical choices.

However, Tonya Harding became the first skater to perform two triple axels in competition. But her rise to the top is overshadowed by the scandal of the attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan. Indeed, she finds herself at the center of a media storm and even an FBI investigation. Despite her efforts to clear her name, she was banned for life from her passion, figure skating.

For basketball fans: Hustle by Jeremiah Zagar

Dive into the exciting world of basketball with Stanley Sugerman, talent scout for the Philadelphia Sixers. Sent to Spain, his mission is to find THE player who will propel the team to the NBA championship. On a playground in Madrid, Sugerman spots the talented young Bo Cruz.

He stands out for his exceptional performances against local players. Impressed by Cruz’s potential, Sugerman brings him back to the U.S. to prepare him for the NBA draft. In Philadelphia, Cruz trains intensely under Sugerman’s supervision, meeting world basketball stars and competing with established players such as Kermit Wilts!

For fans of women’s soccer: Comme des garçons by Julien Hallard

Comme des Garçons transports you to Reims in 1969. That year, Paul Coutard, a sports journalist with the daily Le Champenois, decided to defy his superior by organizing a women’s soccer match for the paper’s annual fair. To his surprise, he receives unexpected help from Emmanuelle Bruno, his “best enemy” and executive secretary.

Together, they embarked on a daring adventure: the creation of France’s very first women’s soccer team. Beyond rivalries and prejudices, this story plunges the spectator into a captivating epic where friendship, courage and passion for sport transcend social barriers and the conventions of the time.

For track and field fans: The Color of Victory by Stephen Hopkins

United by the same goal, Jesse Owens and his trainer Larry Snyder have a dream. To shine at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin! But in the face of persistent racism in the USA and in the heart of Third Reich Germany, their path to glory is strewn with obstacles. Yet Jesse Owens overcame every challenge.

He pushes the limits of what is possible and breaks all medal records. In an age tormented by hateful ideologies and propaganda, Jesse Owens embodies resilience and individual strength. It also proves that one man can shake the foundations of a monstrous propaganda machine, whether in Nazi Germany or the USA.