One year before the opening of the Paris 2024 Games, the Olympic Works Delivery Company (SOLIDEO) is fully mobilized on the 53 Olympic sites which bring together no less than 4,000 workers and this, in compliance with deadlines and budget projections. .
View of the construction site of the Paris 2024 Athletes’ Village, in July 2023 with, in the foreground, the development of the footbridge linking Saint-Denis and Île-Saint-Denis (Credits – SOLIDEO)
On July 19, SOLIDEO held a new meeting of its Board of Directors – the twenty-fifth – under the chairmanship of the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.
The opportunity for the body to take stock of the progress of the various projects, one year from the opening of the Games and especially six months from the actual delivery of a majority of Olympic works.
As Nicolas Ferrand, Managing Director of SOLIDEO, pointed out:
Whether it is thanks to the first works inaugurated, or to the rapid progress of the construction sites, the year 2023 materializes the ambitions carried since the beginning of the project.
The city of tomorrow and the legacy of the Paris 2024 Games are taking shape!
These works will be an exceptional showcase of French excellence and know-how in terms of development and construction..
Map of works and operations supervised by SOLIDEO in Seine-Saint-Denis (Credits – SOLIDEO / Sport & Société screenshot)
Also, to date, the sites cover no less than 53 structures in the Île-de-France region and in France, with the participation of some 4,000 workers, half of whom are on the Village des Athletes site alone, currently under construction. in three communes of Seine-Saint-Denis.
More than 2.227 million hours of professional integration have also already been achieved on the various sites, ie 90% of the objective set by SOLIDEO at 2.4 million hours.
This socially-oriented scheme has, for the time being, benefited 3,205 people, including 1,529 who live in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis. Among these people, 77% have a level less than or equal to a CAP or a BEP, 30% are under 25 years old, and more than 39% are long-term job seekers.
At the same time, the objective of using VSEs/SMEs and Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS) structures has been exceeded, with 729 million euros in contracts committed so far, and in detail , competition on construction sites for 1,927 VSEs/SMEs and 103 SSE structures from 85 French departments. For clarification, the target objective was initially announced at 534 million euros.
View of the Bourget Sports and School Park in Seine-Saint-Denis, in June 2023 (Credits – SOLIDEO / Dronepress)
The last few months have also enabled the delivery of five Olympic structures, namely the Nautical Stadium in Vaires-sur-Marne (Seine-et-Marne) where the rowing and canoe-kayak events will take place next year, Hall 3 of the Paris-Le Bourget Exhibition Center (Seine-Saint-Denis) which will be mobilized for the media during the Games, but also the Aulnay-sous-Bois Aquafun Center, the schools set up in the Sports Park and Le Bourget school near the future Olympic climbing site and the Media Village, and the student residence Paulette Fost within the Athletes’ Village.
In Seine-Saint-Denis, several projects are in the more or less advanced finalization phase.
This particularly concerns the Grande Nef at Île-des-Vannes, which will be put out of water / out of air by September, the new rugby pitches and the swimming pool at Parc de Marville in La Courneuve, or the left bank of the Canal Saint-Denis.
View of the Grande Nef de L’Île-des-Vannes construction site in Seine-Saint-Denis, in May 2023 (Credits – SOLIDEO)
As for the monumental Olympic Aquatics Center in Saint-Denis, work is also continuing according to the objectives set.
The installation of the side facades was thus carried out, as was the water/air protection of the building. Subsequently, beyond the installation of solar panels on the roof, initial waterproofing tests will be carried out in September 2023 at the level of the 50-meter pool.
These elements come shortly after the inauguration, on June 7, of the crossing over the A1 motorway between the Aquatic Center and the Stade de France, prefiguring the pedestrian link that will be possible during the Games and the connection between the two sports sites with a view to the development of the ZAC Plain Saulnier.
View of the Saint-Denis Olympic Aquatic Center construction site, Seine-Saint-Denis, in June 2023 (Credits – SOLIDEO)
In Paris intramural this time, the Porte de la Chapelle Arena – future Adidas Arena – continues its deployment in the 18th arrondissement.
The installation of the frames having been carried out – metal frame on the arena and wooden frame above the adjacent gymnasium – the operations will now focus on the interior fittings and the public spaces. The site, which will receive a first concert on May 3, 2024, will subsequently host the Olympic events in badminton and rhythmic gymnastics, before being the setting for the Paralympic competitions in para-badminton and para-weightlifting.
Still in Paris, the cover of the Court Suzanne Lenglen at Roland-Garros (16th) is also advancing.
Following the sliding of the side elements intended to receive the light roof, and after a break due to the holding of the French Open tennis tournament last spring, the installation of the canvas will thus be effective by the 2024 edition of the tournament. of the Grand Slam.
View of the Porte de la Chapelle Arena construction site in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, in June 2023 (Credits – SOLIDEO)
Elsewhere in the Ile-de-France region, the development work on the Colline d’Élancourt (Yvelines) has made it possible to build the Olympic track that mountain bikers will use during the Games and on which a test-event is scheduled for September 24.
In addition to the operations carried out with a view to the Games on this site, SOLIDEO intends to continue the developments in phase legacy in order to give a sporting character, of course, but also a recreational and leisure one to the Hill, knowing that measures have also been introduced to preserve the ecosystems in place at certain points.
Finally, with regard to the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in Colombes (Hauts-de-Seine), the construction site will experience a new essential stage, with the laying of the lawn of the future field hockey site during this month of August 2023.
View of the facilities relating to the Olympic mountain bike trail on the Colline d’Élancourt in the Yvelines department, in June 2023 (Credits – SOLIDEO)
Regarding the budget, SOLIDEO remains within the framework of the financial model revised in December 2022.
In fact, the budget for the Olympic structures appearing in the SOLIDEO program is – for a total of 64 works – €4.49 billion (current).
In detail, SOLIDEO’s budget corresponding to public subsidies passing through the body responsible for supervising the delivery of works weighs nearly 1.716 billion euros, with the State’s contribution of 1.157 billion euros, the City of Paris for 169.7 million euros, that of the Île-de-France Region for 168.4 million euros, and the contribution of the other Local Authorities associated with the Games for 220.6 million euros .
To this specific budget are also added private investments for 1.832 billion euros, but also funding for heritage, from private funds provided after the Games (232 million) and from local authorities (434 million), without forgetting additional public investments related to the Games for 145 million euros, and income from land charges which bring in 134 million euros.
In the light of these figures, it should be noted that the cost of the works strictly necessary for the Games amounts to just over 3.8 billion euros.
