Plenty of scope for great ambitions: for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, the German House will open its doors as a meeting point for German athletes in the Stade Jean Bouin rugby stadium. The arena with the spectacular, net-like outer facade made of concrete mesh, in which the Stade Français Paris (SFP) team plays their home games, is in the immediate vicinity of the Prinzenpark and the Stade Roland-Garros, where the soccer and Wheelchair tennis take place.
In its now more than 30-year history, the German House has already been at home in a school, a university, a restaurant, a hotel and a beach/golf club, but never in a stadium. The decision in favor of the arena, in which pole vaulter Sergej Bubka first crossed the six-meter mark in 1985, is the result of an intensive search and negotiations regarding the selection of a suitable location for the German House. The contract was sealed at a project meeting in Paris by Claudia Wagner, Managing Director of Deutsche Sport Marketing (DSM), and Thomas Lombard, CEO of the rugby club SFP. As a full-service agency, DSM is responsible for the conception and organization of the German House on behalf of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and the German Disabled Sports Association (DBS).
Claudia Wagner, Managing Director of Deutsche Sport Marketing:
“The stadium is a location with an absolute wow effect – and that’s not just due to the spectacular architecture. Apart from the visual stimuli, the Jean Bouin Stadium has a lot of flair that inspired us from the start. With a view to the development of the German House as THE hotspot of Team Germany at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, we have a clear vision: We want to establish the facility even more strongly as the central hub for all analogue and digital activities relating to the athletes and expand our offer to stakeholders and guests, or make it even more attractive. With the Stade Jean Bouin and the numerous possibilities that the location offers, we are taking the next step here.”
Thomas Lombard, CEO Stade Français Paris:
“Stade Français Paris Rugby and its owner-president Dr. Hans-Peter Wild are proud to welcome the German delegation to the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. This cooperation allows us, with the Jean Bouin Stadium, to be part of this world event as a symbol of openness and diversity and at the same time a place where Olympic values and enthusiasm for the sport can be shared. The hospitality areas will be dedicated to the athletes, the media and all guests, making the stadium a unique venue for the Games. Based on our CSR mission of inclusion and innovation, we are very excited to host this connecting and novel event.”
In the stadium, which was completely renovated in 2012 and has a capacity of around 20,000 spectators, various areas are planned for the “Home of Team Germany”. The centerpiece of the appearance will be the “Main Lounge” with a gallery (mezzanine) on the third level. One floor above, the “Open Seats” – an open hospitality area with a view of the interior of the stadium – serve as media lounges and areas for content production, among other things. Private business boxes are also available on the fifth floor. As an extension of the interior, spectator stands will be built over with terraces on various levels in order to create usable outdoor areas. The playing field is also to be integrated into the event concept.
To set up the Athlete Service Center (ASC) for the athletes of Team Germany, existing premises and equipment can be used for training and competition preparation. After two Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2021 / Beijing 2022) without a German House and without spectators at the venue, a publicly accessible offer for fans, spatially docked to the official German meeting point, is also being considered.
When it comes to implementing the project, DSM can once again count on the expertise of numerous partners, above all Messe Düsseldorf, which incorporates its experience from ten German houses in the organization, project management and implementation of the event. PROPROJEKT and AS+P Albert Speer + Partner, who have taken on the planning and architecture tasks for the Deutsches Haus in Paris 2024, also have a permanent position in the team. In the coming months, a concept will be jointly designed that will meet the numerous requirements of the location.
Central, spacious, flexible: The location offers very good conditions for an attractive design, which at the same time fulfills all needs – above all those of the athletes. In addition to the ideal premises, the central location with short distances is one of the plus points. The German House is located in the immediate vicinity of numerous competition venues. In addition to those already mentioned for football and tennis, there are venues for beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower Stadium, judo and breaking at the Place de la Concorde and archery in front of Les Invalides. The Olympic/Paralympic Village is around ten kilometers away.
Deutsches Haus / Deutsches Haus Paralympics – data and facts:
Olympics:
Duration: 26.07. until 08/11/2024
Total area: 3,000 m²
Expected number of guests: approx. 1,000 visitors daily / around 17,000 in total
Paralympics:
Duration: 28.08. until 08.09.2024
Total area: 1,000 m²
Expected number of guests: approx. 500 visitors daily / around 6,000 in total
Further information on the German House / German House Paralympics:
Since Calgary 1988, the German House has been the central meeting place of the German Olympic Sports Confederation for representatives from sports, business, media, society and politics during the respective Olympic Games; since Vancouver 2010 there has been a Paralympic counterpart. Deutsche Sport Marketing (DSM) is responsible for the planning, organization and implementation of both platforms on behalf of DOSB and DBS (German Disabled Sports Association). In recent years, the agency has increasingly developed the Deutsches Haus from a pure hospitality event into a multimedia control center in which all measures and activations relating to the teams are bundled – from social media communication to partner formats and streaming of daily press conferences.
You can find the video clip of the communication launch for the Deutsches Haus Paris 2024 here: https://www.youtube.com/@teamdeutschland
About Deutsche Sport Marketing (DSM)
As an economic subsidiary of the German Sports Foundation, founded by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), DSM markets the Olympic Team Germany and the Team Germany Paralympics. She organizes the German House at the Olympic and Paralympic Games and creates other communication platforms and events related to the teams. In addition, she is responsible for the strategic and conceptual coordination as well as the implementation of marketing measures in the “Sport for All” area, such as the German Sports Badge and the Stars of Sports. For more information, see our LinkedIn profile.
(Source: German Sports Marketing)
