Welcome To The Games
FÊTES FOR THE PARIS 2024 Olympic Games began on May 8 with the Olympic Torch Relay and will culminate at the Closing Ceremony of the Paralympic Games on September 8. The Organising Committee’s motto is “Games Wide Open,” and celebration sites have been set up throughout France enabling people to come together to enjoy the greatest sporting competition on earth. In August, Paris is the place to be…
THE SEINE AND ITS CANALS connect all of the Parisian celebration sites and sports arenas, particularly via the Canal SaintDenis, which has been completely renovated for the Games. The major connector between the Olympic and Paralympic venues starts from Club France at La Villette, then moves to the Stade de France, Aquatics Centre and Olympic Village.
AS THE CENTRAL DEPARTMENT HOSTING the Games, Seine-Saint-Denis has dedicated two of its parks to the occasion. Three hundred hours of live broadcasts are on offer at Club France at La Villette, and at La Courneuve’s Georges Valbon, sports fans can enjoy free concerts, workshops and sports activities, plus spectacular views from an 80-metre-high skyliner.
STADE DE FRANCE HAS TRANSFORMED into the Olympic Stadium after three decades of hosting France’s biggest sports events. Created for the FIFA World Cup in 1998, the multisports arena can host 77,083 spectators and is still the country’s largest stadium. During the Games, it is staging the athletics, paraathletics and Rugby Sevens.
THE ONLY PERMANENT SPORTS FACILITY built for the Games, the Aquatic Centre is hosting the world’s greatest athletes for the artistic swimming, water polo and diving events. A low-carbon build, and one of France’s largest urban solar farms, it will switch from a 5,000-seat venue during the Games to a 2,500-seat facility afterwards, hosting the biggest national and international competitions.
PARIS 2024 IS FOLLOWING A NEW MODEL: most venues are existing ones, spread across the heart of the French capital. The masterplan includes a number of spectacular venues with openwater swimming in the river Seine, gymnastics in the Grand Palais, equestrian sports in Versailles and hockey in Stade Yves-du-Manoir; the old Olympic Stadium of 1924.
FACING THE EIFFEL TOWER, which has been stripped back to its original golden-brown shade for the Games, Champions Park at the Trocadéro is providing fans with a groundbreaking opportunity to meet medal-winning athletes. More than 1,000 athletes have been invited to Champions Park to celebrate their achievements with their friends, families and fans following their competitions.
