Olympic judokas visit the Champ de Mars Arena, the judo venue for Paris 2024
The Champ de Mars Arena has welcomed its first judo athletes. Fifteen Olympians visited the Olympic venue which will host judo events during the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The judokas who competed at the recent Paris Grand Slam Judo 2023 were all focused on earning points towards Olympic qualification for Paris 2024. After the tournament, some had the chance to visit the Olympic venue that will host judo events during the next Olympic Games.
Last Monday, 6 February 2023, 15 athletes were invited to the Champ de Mars Arena by the International Judo Federation (IJF) and the European Judo Union (EJU). Olympic medallists, including representatives of the host country Teddy Riner and Romane Dicko, Daria Bilodid of Ukraine, Lasha Shavdatuashvili of Georgia and Brazi's Rafaela Silva were among the guests. All of them were impressed by the venue, which is located on the Champ de Mars, right in front of the iconic Eiffel Tower.
“The Eiffel Tower is the monument that represents France the most and since judo is one of the biggest sports in France, it makes sense to have it [the venue] here. I think it is a real privilege to compete in front of this monument. I can already feel the atmosphere in this venue and I feel very lucky to be one of the first judokas to see this place,” Dicko told the IJF.
“It's a dream, a beautiful dream to have the Olympic Games here in Paris. It's a great sensation and it’s brilliant for me and great for my country. Now I just need to fight, I need to train hard to win the gold medal,” added Riner, a 10-time world champion.
The Champ de Mars Arena has a capacity of 8,356
While there were only 15 judokas present on Monday there will be 372 judo athletes on the mat of the Champ de Mars Arena from 27 July to 3 August 2024.
Judo is scheduled for the first week of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in a venue that will also host the wrestling competition. The arena located in the heart of Paris has a capacity of 8,356 spectators.
The Champ de Mars Arena is currently known as the Grand Palais Overlay. The 10,000m2 building was built to host art, fashion and sports events while the Grand Palais, another Paris 2024 venue, is being renovated.
The Grand Palais Overlay was designed by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, and was constructed in 2021 with sustainable materials and aligned with the Esplanade.