This is the life story of a group of Israelis, led by a father who arrived in this troubled country more than 50 years ago, who experienced the Paris 2024 Olympics in a way that was different from the rest of the more than 200 nations or National Olympic Committees represented, shaped by security considerations and the general atmosphere.

The story begins with Victor Ninio, of Argentinian descent and a sports enthusiast, on his way to enjoy another great event in his life, the Olympic Games.

Just like in Rio 2016, China for the 2019 Basketball World Cup, Qatar 2022 for football or Athens 2004, being Israeli does not stop him from enjoying the world's best athletes and the diverse experiences that these events offer.

And I say "being Israeli" because, unfortunately, the Jewish people, scattered around the world, and Israel itself, with its residents and returnees, often have to take extra precautions that citizens of other nations or religions do not.

On 7 October 2023, the situation for Israelis worsened. "The day of the massacre committed by the extremist religious group that controls the Gaza Strip, called Hamas," as Victor describes the problem affecting the Middle East, would mark a before and after for all Israelis, especially those like Victor who like to attend big events.

"For these Olympics, because of my age and because of what happened, I didn't dare go alone, as I did in Qatar or at other events. I went with my son Noam, the middle child, who is 32 years old and has been serving as a reservist in the Israeli army since 7 October, and a friend of his."

"I told him to take advantage of his days off from the army, so we decided to come with his friend Shauli, also Israeli, who lives and works in Athens, Greece. Since we decided at the last minute, we couldn't go to many events where Israel was competing, but we got tickets for football and boxing, so we made the most of what was available," said Ninio.

Everyone knew this wasn't going to be just any Olympics for Israel. The athletes' own security in Paris would be accompanied by personal security and local reinforcements for the fans.

As for the hostile atmosphere, he clarifies: "We didn't feel it very much because we don't walk around the streets with an Israeli flag, that's for sure. Even though both my son and his friend are strong and don't let themselves be pushed around, we decided to keep a low profile in the streets, without flags, shirts or anything that would identify us as Israelis".

These precautions were a constant during their nearly 10-day stay in France. "When Israel was playing and we were in the stadium, yes, we took out the flag or something with Israeli markings, but not on the street. As soon as we passed the first security ring, we felt safe and we would show our flags. That's when the nice part began, interacting with people from other countries, like when we talked and took pictures with the Japanese in a wonderful atmosphere," said Ninio

"Apart from the Palestinian flags, it wasn't that hostile. We still couldn't wear shirts or flags outside the stadiums, but not on the advice of the embassy or the government. Everyone knows what they can and cannot do. We know we have to be careful and avoid problems," Ninio explained, highlighting the usual approach for Israelis at such events.

Apart from the different results in the disciplines, "You go to the Olympics to enjoy the competitions, to meet people and to experience different cultures. Of course you cheer, but that's not the only thing," said the economist, who retired last year but continues to work part-time in physical education at a boarding school for elderly people with mental and physical disabilities.

"Even though our football results weren't as good as in other sports because we have a second- or third-tier team in Europe, we still celebrated seeing our team in the games. I love basketball and football, and generally, we don't play in big competitions, so it was wonderful just to watch them play".

In the middle of talking to Inside The Games about the details of his stay, he paused for a moment to clarify something important. "I want to clarify something important. People say 'the Palestinians' and that's not true. Even the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas, has been badly damaged by Hamas. We have to separate Palestine from this murderous and terrorist group with its fundamentalist religious position.

"Palestine is one thing, Hamas is another," he repeated several times during the interview. "Flags are often shown out of ignorance and end up having repercussions in sport. Many of those who march don't understand the situation and mix things up. There was a massacre by Hamas with over 1,200 or 1,300 dead, something unprecedented. It's a terrorist group based on extreme religious beliefs, like Hezbollah or ISIS in their day, with Iran and other countries supporting them.

"We had no contact with the Palestinians, but that's what happened. When we played Paraguay in Paris, there were flags, but they were in a different section and we went through different gates. It was the same in Nantes; we weren't near them.

To illustrate his experience, he cited another match he attended because of his South American heritage, Argentina's debut against Morocco. "The atmosphere at the Morocco-Argentina game was more hostile than the one against us. Ninety-five per cent of the stadium was against Argentina. They were French people of Moroccan origin who had a score to settle with Argentina. I was there wearing an Argentina shirt and was met with hostility of a different kind. Bottles thrown, insults, a pitch invasion - it was complete chaos.

He couldn't help but compare it to other events where, although there are precautions for being Israeli, the situation wasn't as conflicted as it is now. "At Qatar 2022, I went to Doha and the atmosphere was more controlled, partly because there were more foreigners than locals, and the Arab authorities made sure there were no problems. I didn't wear one out of an abundance of caution, but my friends did. They could wear shirts with Hebrew inscriptions or Israeli symbols on the street without a problem. Here we didn't even try.

With a smile tinged with melancholy, he recalled other Olympic Games. "I was in Athens in 2004 with my son, who was 12, and then in Rio in 2016, but Israel didn't have a strong team like now, so we ended up watching Ginobili and Olympic football with Tevez and company. 

#Israel didn't do much in sailing and judo, not much else. Israel won several medals at these Olympics, which is important, although we didn't get to see many of them because we decided at the last minute. I think there were six medals and if I'm not mistaken that's a record. It's fantastic for our country.

His military son, who is more reluctant to give interviews, perhaps because of his role in the Israeli army, will soon have to return to duty. "Noam served about 150 days in the reserves, not in Gaza, but in the north, on the border with Syria and Lebanon, in the artillery. On Sunday 11 August, he's going to enlist again for 50 days," said Ninio, with the concern that all parents have for their children, but happy to have shared a few days with him at Paris 2024.

Their trip began in Lyon, where they secured tickets to watch the Argentina team and did a bit of sightseeing in France's third largest city. "We were in Lyon to watch Argentina and do some sightseeing, then we came to Paris to support Israel and went to Nantes on a bus organised by Israeli and French Jewish students."

The bus trip wasn't entirely satisfactory due to the timetables and distances that Israelis are not used to, as well as the heat and lack of air conditioning. "It was six or seven hours, even with a police escort, because it was a bus full of Jews..."

The silence spoke volumes about the feelings many Israelis and Jews have when leaving their country.

On the subject of security, he said: "An Israeli security man travelled with us. There was also local security before and after we arrived at the stadium. We had to wait on the side until we got the signal to enter the stadium and we had to get in quickly".

"Still, it was more a precaution than anything else. Nantes was quieter than Paris, but we were escorted from Paris to Nantes and back, like a rival delegation".

On his return to the French capital, Ninio mentioned that he had learned that "the number two had been killed", that Ismail Haniyeh had been assassinated in Tehran, unable to escape the conflict in the country that had been his refuge for half a century.

These mixed feelings between sport, culture and life, in general, moved him as he stressed that, apart from seeing the athletes, the most important part of his trip was meeting Oren Smadja (bronze medallist in Barcelona 1992), the judo coach who lost his son 40 or 50 days ago. "This meeting was the highlight, very emotional", as he couldn't escape the daily realities of his country for a moment, making it clear that it is not easy for anyone to experience an Olympic Games in the midst of such a significant conflict, with family and friends in Israel.

These are the emotions that drive many sports fans - a mix of sport and real life, politics and religion, security and the extraordinary. It's about experiencing the Olympics in different ways based on nationality and religion, but ultimately feeling them deeply as a passionate sports fan and amateur athlete.