A political science professor ticked a big item off her bucket list this summer, jetting off to Paris for the Olympic Games.

“We arrived at Pearson and were waiting for our flight, and members of Team Canada happened to be on the same plane,” Emmanuelle Richez said.” So, the trip started right away with us getting into the Olympic mood.”

Dr. Richez has dreamed of attending the Games since she was a child, and this year, everything finally fell into place for that dream to come true.

“We knew well in advance that 2024 would be the Summer Olympics in Paris, and for the first time, the stars aligned to make it possible for me and my family because we have family in France and speak the language,” she said.

The first event she attended was gymnastics, which Richez described as both impressive and a special moment.

“Just the level of work that these athletes put into preparing to be at that level is incredible. And I was watching the event with my goddaughter, who does gymnastics herself, so it was very endearing to see her being inspired,” she said. “I think it encouraged her to pursue the sport at a very high level. She now hopes to go to the Olympics in Brisbane in 2032.”

Next, Richez’s family witnessed Poland's Iga Świątek secure a win in the women’s tennis singles against Diane Parry of France. Right after, they saw Spanish tennis pro Rafael Nadal face off against Novak Djokovic, who went on to take home the gold.

“For gymnastics, we just missed Simone Biles by one hour, but for this, we totally lucked out,” she exclaimed.

In addition to the Games, Richez said there were many activities for kids and fans to take part in.

“The most special moment was seeing the kids get excited about the Games and wanting to either become athletes themselves or pick up a new sport. For example, my son got to play tennis for the first time at Roland-Garros,” she said. “There were pros on site who were helping children get the hang of it.”

Describing the experience as much more than she expected, Richez said the backdrops to each of the Games were iconic Paris monuments. She also had the chance to visit the Canada House and watch the events with other Canadians, creating a “group spirit” to cheer on the athletes.

“We’ve already decided we want to go back to see another Olympics,” she said. “Hopefully winter this time.”