Step inside the Olympic and Paralympic Village as it prepares to welcome the athletes to Paris 2024
The buildings are not yet occupied, but a special atmosphere already emanates from the Olympic and Paralympic Village of Paris 2024.
The Olympic rings are everywhere, including a deconstructed version at the top of one building. They are proof that something incredible is about to begin. In just two weeks, almost 15,000 residents, including close to 10,000 athletes, will move to this location between Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen and l'île Saint-Denis.
“The athletes will always remember this life inside the village, which is completely different. For most of us who have been athletes, it's a moment when we find ourselves with all the other sports, with all the other nations, sharing a moment. We have the same type of room, the same beds, the same catering facilities and all the services offered to all the athletes,” explains Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024 and four-time Olympian.
Estanguet described the village as “extremely important and very special” during a presentation to the media on Tuesday 2 July. Around 100 journalists were there, from nations as far-flung as Italy, Brazil and Japan. Even before the Olympic and Paralympic Village has opened, it is bringing together people from across the world.
Olympics.com takes you on a tour of the streets, squares and locations that are waiting for the best athletes on the planet to come and shine.
An Olympic and Paralympic Village that gives athletes the space to "focus on their events”
The final touches are still being put in place as the Olympic and Paralympic Village awaits its future tenants.
In Maxwell Hall, an industrial building that provided electricity to the city’s metro at the beginning of the 20th century, a large gymnasium is ready to be used. Around 100 pieces of cardio equipment, as many weight machines and over 1,500 fitness accessories of all kinds are at the disposal of the athletes. They will be free to use them from the day they arrive.
This is not the only place athletes can work on their physical preparation in the village. The Cité du Cinéma, along with its studios, has been transformed into training facilities; a location formerly used for movie shoots is now dedicated to sport.
One studio is dedicated to weightlifting, with each athlete having the opportunity to train there once a day without leaving the village.
Outside another studio, a basketball court has been erected. Basketball players, including those competing in 3x3 basketball will also make use of a separate studio that they will share with the handball players. There are also two studios for fencing and wrestling.
“It's a village that was built by athletes for athletes, thanks to the Paris 2024 Athletes Commission chaired by Martin Fourcade, but also Tony Estanguet's great involvement in the work that has been done here. We've been able to provide all these services in an optimal way so that the athletes have only one thing to do, and that is to focus on their competitions,” explains Laurent Michaud, head of the Olympic and Paralympic Village of Paris 2024.
The Olympic and Paralympic Village plaza at the heart of the celebrations
Returning to Maxwell Hall, you can see the facilities go far beyond athletes’ training needs. Inside the hall, they will find a hairdresser, a nail salon, an NOC service centre, an information centre and a centre for residents. In the last of those, they will have the opportunity to relax with table football, a comfortable couch and a drinks dispenser. In another room, boxes of uniforms from across the world have already arrived, waiting to be opened before the Opening Ceremony.
On the main square, a giant screen will soon be installed where athletes can gather to watch the Games. The surrounding area will be decorated to look like a typical Parisian square.
Among the features of the square, a convenience store will provide athletes with the essentials they need, while a Samsung shop and official Paris 2024 store have already been constructed.
The chairs and parasols of the square’s cafe are already in place and, while no waiters are yet present to take your order, it’s only a matter of time until the entire village will spring to life.
Walking up the stairs of the same building where the cafe is located, the athletes will pass over a floor covered in posters from the Olympic Games Paris 1924.
There they will find an outlet of FNAC and a post office, where they can purchase everything from video games to travel guides, stamps - including one that smells of fresh bread - and send mail home to their loved ones. Everything as been meticulously prepared for the athletes’ arrival.