“Our help is such an important part of the Olympics”

Taxi drivers often hope to receive a five-star review, but Olympic driver Elisabeth Lomholdt hopes to have the chance to receive true star reviews.

The Danish volunteer driver spends the summer behind the wheel, zigzagging between different locations in Paris.

He hasn’t seen any medalists so far, but has simply accompanied officials to and from the Games, but he says he’s had quite a few interesting conversations.

“The longer the journey, the better,” the 25-year-old tells BBC Newsbeat. “I feel so inspired after hearing people’s stories.”

Elisabeth, who lives in Copenhagen, says: “Every time I have passengers, I ask myself a question, because I’m very interested in finding out which sports are most popular in their country.

“Because in Denmark, football and handball are the main sports, while in all other countries these are not the main sports.”

Elisabeth has been living in Paris for five weeks and says that when she arrived, “a lot of people said to me: ‘You’re crazy to want to drive in Paris.'”

Traffic in the French capital can be notoriously difficult to navigate.

“When you drive in Paris, people, especially motorcycles, turn on their lights and keep honking, honking, honking and keep passing between the cars,” he says. Elizabeth.

“What I’m used to are roundabouts with lanes, things like that. There are no lanes here.

“You just have to adapt.”

Many people volunteer right after graduation, but Elisabeth may have the best stories.

She loves sports, but more than that, she says she was drawn to the opportunity to see behind the scenes of such a major event when she first applied more than a year and a half ago.

“It’s not what you see on television, it’s all of this, all the things that are in the background,” he says.

“Like, how is it structured? I think it’s really interesting.”

Elisabeth is one of 45,000 people who volunteered at the Paris Olympics, out of more than 300,000 who applied.

“It’s really inspiring to see how our help is such an important part of the Olympics,” she says.

“The Olympics wouldn’t be the Olympics without volunteers.”

Paris 2024 promises to be the most sustainable Games ever.

That’s why TikTok is filled with videos of athletes jumping on cardboard beds and vegan options in the cafeteria.

Organizers have also come up with solutions for getting around the city, making all places accessible by public transport and creating 400 km (250 miles) of new cycle paths.

But Elisabeth’s taxi has also had a sustainable makeover. The car she drives is part of an electric fleet, and fewer have been ordered than for previous Games.

The 25-year-old hopes to see more people motivated to volunteer their time.

“I know we don’t get paid, but this gives us so much more than just money,” she says.

“It gives you perspective on life.”

And with Sunday’s closing ceremony, Elisabeth will still have the chance to pick up the passengers of her dreams.

“I think it would be fun to have some Danish athletes,” he says.

“But I’m biased.”

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12.45pm and 5.45pm on weekdays – or listen again Here.