The Gulf country had asked the French government for the possibility of setting up its “Olympic village” for four months in this central location of the capital.
Published on 03/26/2024 12:32
Reading time: 1 min The lawn on Avenue de Breteuil, near Les Invalides, in Paris, May 31, 2023. (FOTO OLIMPIK / NURPHOTO / AFP)
There will be no Saudi “Olympic village” this summer in Les Invalides, during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. France has decided that Saudi Arabia will not install its athletes in this central location in the capital, Franceinfo learned from the Ministry of the Armed Forces on Tuesday March 26, confirming information fromEurope 1.
Initially, Saudi Arabia had asked the French government for the possibility of having its athletes stay at Les Invalides, instead of the official Olympic village, inaugurated at the end of February, in three municipalities, Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen and l’Ile -St Denis. France then imposed its conditions so that the Gulf country could settle in this place, which notably houses the National Institution for Invalids, in the 7th arrondissement.
“There was a request made by the Saudis to which the French authorities responded by making a whole series of guarantees. For the moment, there is no going back on that”had declared on RTLat the beginning of March, the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra.
Part of the opposition denounced the project
This installation project was notably denounced by part of the opposition. Nathalie Serre, LR deputy for Rhône, requested details from the government at the end of February on this “Olympic village” project in Les Invalides. “Saudi Arabia, although it is our ally, raises questions about respect for human rights, particularly those of women and the LGBT community”, had alerted the parliamentarian.
After this refusal from Paris, the question of the installation of a few dozen Saudi athletes during the Olympic Games (July 26-August 11) and Paralympic Games (August 28-September 8) remains unresolved.
