‘Thousand times worth it’: No repent for Olympics super fan to overspend for Paris 2024

New Delhi: Even the prospect of exhausting her savings couldn’t put off Vivianne Robinson from reaching Paris for the Olympics.

How could it? As after attending seven Summer Games for 40 years, the Olympics superfan couldn’t bear the thought of watching the Games on the telly from her home at Los Angeles.

Thus the 66-year-old maxed out her credit cards, took two jobs simultaneously in order to fly to Paris and buy 38 event tickets. She undertook the job of putting names on rice necklaces during the day on Venice Beach and bagged groceries at night.

For making the trip, she has to work for two more years to pay off the dues she accrued to follow her passion. On the streets of Paris, she is hard to miss in an attire covered with pins and adornments.

“It was hard to save up and it’s a big budget, but it’s a thousand times worth it,” she said, as quoted by the Associated Press.

Which is why she is willing to take the disappointment of shelling out $1600 for the opening ceremony and watch a screen on a bridge in her stride.

“You know how long that takes to make that much money? But, things happen in life and life goes on and you win if you lose a few,” she said, even turning down suggestion of using her fame to open an account for crowdfunding.

“That doesn’t matter. I can make the money eventually,” she added.

Taking cue from mother

Robinson’s mother worked as a translator for athletes at the University of California, during the 1984 Olympics and would give pins from athletes to her when he reached home after work.

It got her hooked on to Olympics and germinated the hobby of collecting pins from Atlanta 1996, where she made rice necklaces for athletes to take pins from them.

“I got all the pins and I got to meet all the athletes. And in those days, it wasn’t high security like now. Now, you can’t even get near the athletes’ village,” she reminisced.

It led her to Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, London 2012 and Rio 2016. Beijing 2008 was too costly while her Tokyo 2020 tickets had to be refunded as COVID-19 pandemic ensured a Games behind closed doors.

Robinson is willing to start working for Los Angeles 2028 as soon as Paris 2024 ends, irrespective of how much it costs.

“Oh, I’m going to do it forever. I’m going to save all my money and just concentrate on Olympics,” she said.

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 American Vivianne Robinson has travelled for seven Olympics for 40 years.  Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today