In just four months, on July 27, 2024, Place de la Concorde (8th arrondissement of Paris) will begin to vibrate to the rhythm of Olympic events orchestrated in the ephemeral Urban Park who must take possession of this emblematic place of the French capital.
Visual of the Urban Park of Place de la Concorde, Paris 8th arrondissement, with the layout of four temporary arenas dedicated to the events of four open arenas will host the Olympic events of skateboarding, 3×3 basketball, BMX freestyle and breakdance (Credits – Paris 2024 / Lucas Barioulet / Florian Hulleu)
Sport in the heart of the city.
Faithful to this promise of the candidacy making the city a setting of choice for sporting exploits, Paris 2024 gradually foresees the establishment of competitions in iconic spaces of Paris and its region, in particular through the mobilization of known historical monuments and recognized throughout the world.
If the Grand Palais (8th arrondissement), the Esplanade des Invalides or the Champ-de-Mars (7th) are among these specially configured sports theaters, the Château de Versailles (Yvelines) is not left out.
It will be the same with Place de la Concorde, in the very heart of Paris.
A place steeped in history – located in the magnificent perspective stretching from the Louvre Museum to the Arc de Triomphe and, further, to the Grande Arche of the La Défense business district – the Concorde will in fact be transformed at occasion of the Olympic and Paralympic celebrations in the summer of 2024.
If for the Paralympic event, only the Opening Ceremony is announced on site On the evening of August 28, 2024, for the Olympic event, however, no less than four sports will take pride of place in the largest Parisian square, partially renovated with the Games in mind.
In fact, skateboarding, 3X3 basketball, BMX freestyle and breakdancing will benefit from an exceptional exhibition undoubtedly reinforced by aerial views promising images worthy of the most beautiful postcards of the city. ” City of Lights “.
To allow these four urban sports to unfold, four arenas open to the famous Obelisk of Luxor will therefore be installed between now and the official opening of the site, on July 27, the day after the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games announced along the Seine in the presence of more than 326,000 spectators.
If the final size of the temporary enclosures remains to be precisely determined, the projections presented in June 2021 during a presentation of the general framework revealed a daily reception capacity of 37,000 people.
During the Games, the skateboard will have the honor of inaugurating the Parisian site, first with the staging of the Street (July 27 and 28), then that of Park (06 and 07 August).
Between these appointments, the basketball 3X3 will take up residence on the square from July 30 to August 5, around a tournament which will see eight men’s teams on the one hand, and eight women’s teams on the other.
The BMX freestyle will be operated in the monumental setting, on July 30 and 31, 2024, while the breakdancing will close the urban sequence of Concorde, on August 9 and 10, with the battle b-girls (women) and battle b-boys (men).
Today – as presented in a new visual unveiled by Paris 2024 – the site as a whole should not, however, be solely dedicated to urban sports, the ultimate ambition being to celebrate urban cultures under their various prisms, via in particular walking areas arranged around the stands.
Visual of the athletes’ parade during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on Place de la Concorde (Credits – Paris 2024 / Florian Hulleu)
At the end of the Olympic Games, and in the interest of pooling equipment and managing resources, the temporary stands will be used again during the celebration of the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games.
For this event, the organizers are expecting the arrival of some 65,000 spectators.
Of this contingent, 35,000 people should be able to access the paying stands installed on the Concorde site, while 30,000 other spectators should be able to follow the inaugural spectacle of the Paralympic Games free of charge from the lower part of the Champs-Élysées.
