The flag and the Olympic rings are in Paris

After the close of the 32nd Olympic Games, Paris takes up the torch for the 2024 session.

Closing ceremony in Tokyo

A magnificent ceremony took place on Sunday August 8 for the closing of the Tokyo Olympics. On this occasion, the Olympic flag and the flame changed hands. The Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike passed the witness on to the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo in the presence of Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

This transmission took place in duplex with the French capital, Place du Trocadéro. The Canadian company Moment Factory had prepared a show of light effects in synthetic images. Spectators from a distance could believe they were inside the stadium, in real time. In total, 500 million viewers were able to attend this international epic, from 1 p.m. The passage of the Patrouille de France in the Parisian sky immortalized this moment. On the occasion of the handover ceremony between Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, Woodkid gave a concert for which he composed the music.

Tokyo 2020

Originally, the Tokyo games were to take place from July 24 to August 9, 2020. Due to the pandemic, they took place from July 23 to August 8, 2021. The Paralympic games started on August 24 and will end on September 5, 2021. An unprecedented decision in the history of the Olympic Games, this edition was held behind closed doors, without spectators from abroad or from the country.

Tokyo hosted the Olympic Games for the second time, the first being in 1964. The International Olympic Committee chose the city during its 125th session in September 2013 in Buenos Aires. It was in competition with Istanbul and Madrid.

The events took place mainly in Tokyo, in the “Heritage Zone” and that of the “Tokyo Bay” city. Some events took place in other departments with as many sanitary measures. The Izu site was one of the few to accept spectators for cycling events. Likewise, the Olympic torch relay, at the beginning of July, was banned to the public, on the last stages in several departments and in Tokyo, because of a resumption of the pandemic via its variant “delta” (30% of people reached). The flame arrived in Tokyo on July 9 at an empty stadium.

This Olympiad presented 339 events (165 men, 156 women and 18 mixed) on a base of 10,500 athletes. In the medal ranking, France is 8th with 10 gold, 12 silver and 11 bronze medals. The United States leads China with 39 gold medals and a total of 113 medals against 38 and a total of 88.

Paris 2024

While the Trocadéro was transformed into a Fan Zone for the retransmission of the Tokyo games, Paris took up the torch. The French capital will host the Summer Olympics for the third time, the previous two being in 1900 and 1924.

The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo received the Olympic flag in Tokyo, during the closing ceremony. It promises games “open to the city and to the public” by integrating “iconic sites” from the opening ceremony, July 2024. The Champ-de-Mars, the Place de la Concorde, the Grand Palais or the castle de Versailles will be at the rendezvous, with the Seine as a playground. The recruitment of the artistic masterpiece will be in 2022, the mascot unveiled at the end of next year. Last step: the course of the flame across the country.

Tony Estanguet, who co-led the bid team with Bernard Lapasset, takes over the presidency of the organizing committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, whose CEO is Étienne Thobois.

The Paris 2024 logo

The Paris 2024 logo brings together 3 strong symbols: a gold medal, a flame, Marianne. For the first time in history, it is a common emblem at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

• The gold medal, symbol of the face of Paris 2024, represents surpassing oneself
• The flame is the symbol of a shared energy
• Marianne is a tribute to the French spirit.

The new emblem of Paris 2024 is the first face in the history of the Games. It reflects the desire of Paris 2024 to organize Games for people and with people. The choice of colors and clean shapes underline the Art Deco design with respect for the environment. Gold, White and Black are the colors from the emblem of Paris.

The new trials

For these 33rd Games, parity will be scrupulously respected, while the number of mixed events will go from 18 to 22. In addition, Paris has proposed to the IOC 4 new additional sports to its program: surfing, climbing, skateboarding. and breaking, the first 3 being already present in Tokyo. They are aimed at young people and invite them to play sports. They will be found at Place de la Concorde, which will host young and urban sports.

Indeed, the Agenda set up in 2014 for Tokyo 2020 allows the organizing committees to propose new sports within the Olympic program of their edition, as “additional sports”. In this vein, other sports are offered: BMX Freestyle, 3×3 basketball and its DJ almost on the field, newly included.

A reasonable budget

While Japan’s expenditure for the 32nd edition has reached nearly $ 15 billion, Paris ensures that its budget will not exceed 3.9 billion, 97% financed by private funds. This sum will come from the IOC (1/3), the ticket office (1/3 corresponding to an 85% filling) and the organizing committee (1/3). The latter aims to raise 1.1 billion euros in sponsorship. It will provide 4 million euros for specific arrangements dedicated to the competitions of the Olympic and Paralympic Games

In terms of human resources, the workforce will double each year to reach 3,000 people at the end of the day. La Solideo, for its part, will independently deliver public facilities to the tune of 3.4 billion.

Where will the trials be located?

The 2024 edition will feature 32 events (28 Olympic sports and 4 additional).

The project relies on 95% of existing or temporary sites for a budget of 6.6 billion euros:

• Tennis, boxing, wheelchair tennis and seated volleyball at Roland-Garros
• Basketball, gymnastics (artistic and trampoline) and wheelchair basketball at the AccorArena
• Volleyball, table tennis, basketball, weightlifting, boccia and para table tennis at Paris Expo
• Football at the Parc des Princes
• Goalball at Pierre-de-Coubertin stadium Beach volleyball at Trocadéro
• Urban sports (3×3 basketball, freestyle BMX, skateboarding (street and park), breaking), place de la Concorde. An ephemeral arena with 35,000 seats will host concerts and sports demonstrations.
• Fencing, taekwondo, armchair fencing and para taekwondo at the Grand Palais
• Judo, wrestling, para judo and wheelchair rugby at the ephemeral Grand Palais
• Archery and para archery on the Esplanade des Invalides
• Beach volleyball and 5-a-side football at Champ-de-Mars and at Trocadéro
• Triathlon, open water swimming, athletics (marathon and walking) cycling and para triathlon at the Jena bridge

The only new constructions: An aquatic center near the Stade de France and an indoor arena with 7,500 seats for basketball, badminton and wrestling at the Porte de la Chapelle.

Events outside Paris

The Yvelines will host the horse riding events at the Château de Versailles and the velodrome of St Quentin en Yvelines, fencing and cycling.

For the surfing events, an additional sport during the games: the Teahupo’o site in Tahiti seemed the most suitable, taking into account the optimal weather conditions. A first for the overseas territories, associated with the Games for the men’s and women’s shhortbord events. Bordeaux – Lacanau, La Torche, Biarritz and Capbreton – Hossegor – Seignosse were also in the running.

In addition to Paris (Parc des Princes), Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice and Saint-Étienne will host the women’s and men’s football tournaments of the Olympic Games.

Swimming events

Construction of the Olympic Aquatic Center will be completed in April 2024, after 26 months of work. It will cost a total of 174.7 million euros. A large footbridge will link the CAO to the Stade de France. The bleacher seats will be made from recycled materials to respect the environment. The 5,000 m2 roof will be covered with voltaic panels, the frame and frame in wood from bio-sourced materials. Control of water consumption (at 85 liters per bather).

The swimming events will take place in an ephemeral swimming pool, dismantled after the Olympics. Water polo, diving and artistic swimming will take place around 2 pools (one of 50 meters and another of 22×25 m). The swimming events will take place under an ephemeral and removable dome. This indoor swimming pool will have a capacity of 15,000 spectators.

The Ile-de-France residents will then be able to come and have fun and play sports in a vast 2.4 hectare activity zone. They will enjoy a climbing wall, basketball courts, paddle tennis courts, football and a skate park.

The Olympic Village

The Olympic village will accommodate 14,000 people in 3 towns: L’Île-St-Denis, St Denis and St Ouen (93), the site will end in April 2024. The old electricity production site will be transformed into new housing , reconverted at the end of the Games.

The media village will meet at the Parc des Expositions du Bourget. It will house 2,800 journalists in 1,300 housing units built in Dugny, in the area known as the Aire des vents. After the Games, the district will offer housing to 4,000 inhabitants, 20% of whom are social housing tenants.

About The Author