Our special guide JO Paris 2024 J-1000
Let’s project ourselves in 2024. Tony Estanguet, the boss of the organizing committee of the Olympic Games (Cojo), has promised: these Olympics will be “spectacular”. This is how he intends to seduce you.
A parade on the Seine at the opening
It was the dream of the Organizing Committee from the bid phase: a ceremony outside the traditional Olympic stadium (the Stade de France for 2024). Emmanuel Macron acted on it this summer. On Friday July 26, 2024, the Games of the 33rd Olympiad will kick off from the heart of Paris. The teams of Thierry Reboul, the director of the brand at Paris 2024, are far from having refined the details of a ceremony which aims to be “popular” and which will last more than three hours, especially since, as revealed the Parisian – Today in France on October 24, the organization is complex. The parade of delegations should however take place on the Seine, from the Quai François-Mitterrand, in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, to the Trocadero.
A party, everywhere in France
Forgotten, the traditional static fan-zones where enthusiasts gather in front of a giant screen to watch sports matches. The 2024 “celebration zones” promise to be lively. The idea of the Organizing Committee is for them to set up in all the towns where competition sites are planned, but also everywhere in France, in particular via its “Terre de Jeux” network.
But it’s not easy to define a typical model 1000 days from the event, especially since each territory will do according to its means. The common thread will be the retransmission of the events, to which will be added sports demonstrations, animations or meetings with athletes. Two large areas of celebrations have already been recorded, one at the Marville stadium in La Courneuve (Seine-Saint-Denis), the other at the Parc de la Villette, in Paris (19th century). This is where, during the Olympic Games, the French Olympic Committee will take up residence. In addition to the France club, a huge space for initiation and promotion of different sports will be installed there.
An incredible postcard sent to the whole world
Another of the pillars of the Parisian file: its sporting events in iconic sites. The Palace of Versailles, the Invalides, the Grand Palais will be transformed into a competition site, with the will for the organizers “to show the world the heritage and architectural wealth of France”. The Cojo works in close collaboration with the Olympic Broadcasting Service (OBS), which will produce and broadcast the images of the event, so that the postcard sent around the world is as incredible as possible.
The beach volleyball tournaments (at Buckingham Palace in 2012 and at Copacabana in 2016) will take place at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. The judokas, from the Arena du Champ de Mars (7th), will have a view of the Military School. The Palace of Versailles will be in the background during the horse riding events, while the glass roof of the Grand Palais will house the fencers and the archers will play a medal with the Invalides in the background. The challenge is colossal since it is necessary to combine sporting constraints and beautiful images. That of organizing surfing events at the other end of the world, on the most extraordinary wave of Teahupoo, in Tahiti, is just as important. Again, the decor looks crazy.
Everyone can participate
It was Tony Estanguet, three-time Olympic canoe champion and boss of the organization, who wanted these 2024 Games “to be as open as possible”. And what could be crazier than allowing Madame or Monsieur Everybody to take part in certain events? The “marathon for all” responds to this desire to “break the codes”, to make the Games even more popular. Tens of thousands of people (the figure has not yet been determined) will thus be able to take the start of the legendary 42.195 km long event, on the same day and on the same route as the qualified athletes.
The idea is for the race to be equal and open to as many people as possible, young and old, able-bodied and people with disabilities. And you don’t need to be a seasoned runner to participate (the less adventurous can take part in the 10 km event), just win your bib by participating in the challenges launched by the Paris 2024 club. Two hundred people have already won their ticket, but others will also try their luck on Sunday in Paris, against the Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge. Paris 2024 is also deploying the Marathon application for all this Saturday, in order to support future participants in their preparation. Another event, cycling this time, will be open to the general public during the Paralympic Games and will take place in Seine-Saint-Denis.