Behind the busy Quai Branly, the Eiffel Tower stretches into the blue sky. In the summer of 2024, ten thousand spectators will watch athletes from all over the world play beach volleyball at its feet. Under the round roof of the Grand Palais éphémère, which extends at the end of the Field of Mars, judo fighters will demonstrate their skills. This is how Pierre Rabadan explains it. The former national rugby player is responsible for sport and the Olympic Games at Paris City Hall.
“The beauty of Paris is its heritage, known all over the world. We want to emphasize that with the Olympic and Paralympic Games. So we decided to put the competitions in the heart of the city. So people will discover Paris differently. Then we looked where it is possible to do that. In a city as dense as Paris, there aren’t many places for that.”
Paris wants to be sustainable and accessible
Build few new things and rely on existing structures instead. That is the guideline of the Paris city administration – for cost reasons and because of environmental protection. The arena with 8,000 spectator seats is being built on the northern outskirts of the city. The city emphasizes that the huge sports stadium primarily benefits the residents of the surrounding districts. Athletes in wheelchairs should also be able to use it easily. The arena is the only new permanent major venue for the Olympic Games, says Pierre Rabadan.
“All the other facilities where the competitions take place already exist, for example the Roland Garros stadium, the Prinzenpark rugby and football stadium or the congress centre. For the temporary sites, we bring in the necessary infrastructure, which will then be dismantled after the Olympic Games and used again for other events.”
The games are intended to give mass sport a boost
Another goal of this new concept: “Paris should become sportier. Every time there is an event like the Olympic and Paralympic Games, more people want to play sports. We want to use that.”
But the city’s sports facilities are already well occupied. Rabadan wants to up the ante for the city clubs:
“For example, we create time windows for the sports clubs to use our sports facilities outside of the usual times. If they close at 8 p.m. on Saturday, we’ll let the clubs use them until midnight, giving them four more hours to do sports in the future.”
And the city is looking for unused spaces, often on the ground floors of buildings — like abandoned businesses.
“We’re trying to move sports like martial arts – judo or karate – that don’t necessarily have to be trained in gyms – there. So that the gyms are free for the sports that you can only do there.”
A new sports facility per district
The city is already unable to meet the existing demand. She has set herself the goal of one new sports facility per arrondissement for the Olympic Games.
“It can be a gym or a swimming pool. In the 16th arrondissement, for example, we will set up a boxing studio and a table tennis room. We renovated about 15 basketball courts, repainted them with an artist, and created new courts. The Olympic Games give us the opportunity to do this, together with private partners and sports federations. We try to be smart about it.”
Air pollution should be reduced
In the city forests, such as the Bois de Boulogne, training paths are being repaired. A huge course is to be created between the Place de la Nation in the east of the city and the Place de Clichy in the north. But is it really attractive to practice sport in the middle of Paris with its high level of air pollution?
“I don’t know if it’s attractive. But this is where the people live. They do sports near their home or place of work. That is why we want to reduce air pollution in Paris.”
Fewer cars, more green spaces. The Olympic Games also serve to advance the city’s environmental goals. A lane will be cleared for the athletes on the chronically congested Pérphérique bypass. By the start of 2024, the water quality of the Seine should also be so good that water sports competitions can take place in the city’s river. The use of disposable plastic should also be history in Paris 2024. Pierre Rabadan admits that a major event like the Olympics always puts a strain on a city’s environmental footprint. But:
“With our concept, we want to reduce the carbon footprint of the Olympic Games by half compared to what London had in 2012.”