200K Free Bibles Handed Out in Paris During 2024 Olympics
By Movieguide® Contributor
As the world converges on Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games, the French Bible Society is hoping to make a lasting impact on visitors’ lives as it hands out 200,000 free copies of the New Testament.
Playing off the Olympics’ focus on the gold medal, the special edition of the New Testament is named “More Precious than Gold”— inspired by 1 Peter 1:7:
Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Along with the entire New Testament, the Bibles handed out will include the testimonies of French handball champion Joël Abati and Australian high jumper Nicola Olyslagers, both of whom will be competing this summer.
“It is so inspiring to read the athletes’ testimonies featured in this special edition of the New Testament. These accounts serve as a powerful reminder of the enduring impact the Bible continues to have in our contemporary world,” said Jonathan Boulet, General Secretary of the French Bible Society. “Moreover, they underscore the vital role that each country’s Bible Society plays in ensuring the accessibility and relevance of this timeless book for all.”
The society had originally planned to distribute 100,000 French versions of the book and 30,000 English versions but increased their numbers to 150,000 and 50,000 respectively due to high initial demand.
While the 200,000 copies of the New Testament will only reach a fraction of the 11 million expected visitors, their distribution represents a desire to focus people on what truly matters even as they come to celebrate and award the world’s greatest athletes.
The Bibles “stand as a beacon of the power of collaboration and the shared values that bring people together, transcending the boundaries of sport and spirituality,” said the French Bible Society.
Movieguide® previously reported on faith at the Olympics:
Former Stanford men’s gymnastics alum Brody Malone is thanking God after securing a spot on the United States men’s gymnastics team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Per Sports Spectrum, “The team is comprised of Brody Malone, Asher Hong, Paul Juda, Stephen Nedoroscik, and Frederick Richard, who won the all-around competition at the trials. Together, they will attempt to win a team all-around Olympic medal for the United States for the first time since the U.S. claimed bronze in Beijing in 2008, and a gold medal for the first time since the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.”
For more inspiring sports stories, check out Sports Spectrum.
Malone was unsure if he would even be able to compete at the trials due to a severe knee injury that forced him to learn how to walk again.
“Malone vividly remembered what happened on March 18, 2023 on the high bar, his best event, at a competition in Stuttgart, Germany,” NBC Sports reported. “His left hand inadvertently peeled off the bar early for his dismount. It sent him flying in the air at a different trajectory than he planned. He landed backward, awkwardly twisting his right leg.”
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