"Parisians gather for mass dictation on Champs-Elysees"

Paris' Champs-Elysees hosted a world-first open-air mass "dictation" spelling competition, with over 5,000 applicants aged 10-90 chosen to participate in three sessions led by novelist Rachid Santaki. Organizers had sought to break the world record for a dictation spelling competition, with 1,779 desks laid out on Paris' most famous boulevard in each session. The competition went beyond the French classics, with a sport-themed round read by rugby player Pierre Rabadan and another with a contemporary flavor read by writer and journalist Katherine Pancol. Marc-Antoine Jamet, president of the Champs-Elysees Committee, said the event went beyond spelling and helped to unify people.