Parigi 2024, le Olimpiadi della rivoluzione francese

The monuments of the Ville Lumière become iconic race tracks

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24 July 2024

3' min read

The mantra of sustainable Olympics, hinged by the IOC in the so-called 'Agenda 2020+5', has been declined by the Parisian organisation not only with the 55% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and - on the contiguous front of inclusiveness - with the equal division of competitions between males and females, but above all with the minimisation of land consumption.

Apart from the Olympic village, to host the Games for the third time in history, after the 1900 editions and the one a century ago in 1924, the facilities built from scratch in the French capital can be counted on the fingers of one hand: among them the Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denise (dedicated to artistic swimming, diving and water polo) and the Bourget Sport Climbing.

Rather, in order to enrich the sporting spectacle and enhance the architectural beauty of the Ville Lumiére, many of the 35 locations have been constructed in iconic locations. An added incentive for the approximately 10 million spectators who will be watching the competitions live.

Thus, the Inaugural Ceremony of the Summer Olympics, directed by Thomas Jolly, will not be held in the classic stadium, but on the Seine, where on the afternoon of 26 July the delegations of the 206 national teams will parade on 94 boats. The six-kilometre route will wind its way through the Jardin des Plantes to skirt the Saint-Louis and de la Cité islands, passing under ten bridges and footbridges to reach the Trocadéro and the Eiffel Tower.

In the same Seine, which has been made swimmable for a stretch - it will be one of the most important material legacies of the Olympic event - the cross-country swimming competitions will be held, with the 10-kilometre race in which Gregorio Paltrinieri will compete.

The iconic monument of Paris, on the other hand, will become the striking backdrop for beach volleyball matches, while at the Esplanade des Invalides archery trials and the start of the marathon are scheduled. The Place de la Concorde will host the challenges of urban sports, i.e. break dancing (a sport debuting at Paris 2024), BMX freestyle, skateboarding, basketball 3x3), at the Grand Palais, built for the 1900 Expo, those of fencing and taekwondo.

In addition to the Opening Ceremony, the Trocadero will be the stage for the march and the road cycling races will be the starting and finishing line).

In addition to tennis matches, boxing matches will be hosted at the Roland-Garros Stadium. The South Paris Arena built for the 1923 Trade Fair will be the home of handball, tennis, volleyball and weightlifting.

Outside Paris in the Ile-de-France region there are 12 other venues. At the Palace of Versailles, for example, equestrian and modern pentathlon competitions will be held. At the Défense Arena in Nanterre, designed by architect Christian de Portzamparc and active since 2017, part of the water polo and swimming programmes will take place.

The Vaire-sur-Marne nautical stadium, the first Olympic facility to be developed and handed over in 2019, will host rowing, canoeing and kayaking, and Paralympic rowing and canoeing and kayaking competitions.

In the rest of France, six football stadiums and four other facilities will host Olympic events, in particular, surfers will compete on the waves of Teahupo'o, in Tahiti, French Polynesia.