Paris 2024 Games: the atmosphere at the Parc Urbain remains high

The men's Park final filled the stands at the Parc Urbain Arena on 7 August. Just as has been the case since the start of the Paris 2024 Games, the atmosphere was great as the skaters performed their best. Here's the story.

Parc Urbain, season 1, episode 10! On Wednesday 7 August, Olympics.com sneaked into the audience at the Parc Urbain to experience the Park final, one of the two disciplines on the Olympic skateboarding programme, at the heart of this celebration site dedicated to culture and urban sport. Despite the absence of a French representative (Vincent Matheron failed to make it into the top 8 at the end of the qualifying runs in the first part of the afternoon), the crowd was in for a final that was already shaping up to be of a very high standard. We hadn't even reached the foot of the arena yet, and we were already caught up in the atmosphere. And it was to the sound of Rider toute la nuit by French artist Laeti that we took our seats, ready to ride in the joyous spirit emanating from the venue.

An international and enthusiastic audience

From the corner of its eye, the Luxor obelisk watches the eight candidates for a gold medal. Akio, Cini, Barros, Wilson, Carew, Sorgente, Schaar and Palmer waited for the three strokes to be given and then, to the cheers of the public, took off for their first run. In the stands, packed to the rafters as they have been for the last 10 days and the opening of the Parc Urbain, the predominant colours are blue and red and green and yellow. The first two colours honour the two representatives of Team USA, while the Brazilians and Australians share the green and yellow. It's clear from the decibels alone that these athletes will have a slight advantage over the only European competing in this final, Italy's Alex Sorgente.

In the kingdom of skateboarding

At 5.30pm, the final kicks off with spectators swarming in and around the arena. The lucky ones have their tickets in hand, while others head for the giant screen in Place de la Concorde to experience a magical moment of sport. Everywhere, the music accompanies the fans who have come to enjoy a sunny end to a day in the Parc Urbain which, over the last two days and the 3x3 basketball finals, has switched to skateboard mode. First the street version, then today the park and its three furious 45-second runs per skater. True to the urban identity of the venue, the music accompanies the athletes in their performances. It's a great way to get the thousands of people in attendance, including many newcomers to the sport, up to speed and in high spirits.

The Onomatopoeia Olympics

For this final, many accents can be heard in the corners of the arena. Skateboarding has become an international sport and its spectacular nature has attracted fans from all over the world. French, Germans, Australians, Brazilians, Americans, South Africans - you can travel here without leaving your seat! But faced with this polyglotism, we all find ourselves reacting with the same words. Or rather the same sounds. It's Augusto Akio who tunes up the audience when he falls over on his first attempt at tricks. "Oooh" we say in unison. As the runs, falls and exceptional tricks go by, the crowd alternates between "ohs" and "wows". The power of the reactions reflects the scale of the tricks. So much so that everyone can already get a realistic idea of the score that takes a few seconds to be announced from the jury.

VIP guests in the stands!

In the park, the skateboarders demonstrate their styles to a mix of pop rock and rap.
As Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's classic "Still D.R.E." blared out, guess who took to the edge of the skatepark? Calvin Cordozar Broadus, aka Snoop Dogg! In the space of a few seconds, the competition came to a halt and the American rapper took his place in the grandstand. It's worth noting that this part of the arena has been buzzing with excitement for some time now. But who could be in a position to attract even more attention than Snoop Dogg, at the heart of an Olympic skateboarding final? There aren't many contenders, and the audience reacted with fervour to the sudden appearance of Léon Marchand on the big screen! The four-time Olympic champion has come to enjoy the Games and is also delighted with the show on display at the Parc Urbain. Once the "Léon, Léon" had died down, the show resumed in an increasingly stressful frenzy.

Dive into the atmosphere

Here, no matter where you sit in the grandstand, everyone can enjoy the show. The arena has been designed to create a certain proximity between the audience and the field of play. Even those standing right next to the giant screen on Place de la Concorde enjoy an immersive experience. As the speaker (in English and French) comments and announces the results, everyone celebrates the spectacular tricks performed by the 8 finalists. Each athlete is encouraged like the others. Because that's what Olympism is all about: sharing and respecting performance, whatever the athlete.

Australia on top

18pm15 ! The tension rises with the last run for each of the 8 finalists. It's time to give it all you've got, and the public have clearly felt it. In the stands, people are stamping their feet, applauding and even giving their voices to push the skateboarders to the top. Australian Keegan Palmer came out on top, retaining his Olympic title with a score of 93.11 out of 100, ahead of Tom Schaar (92.23) and Augusto Akio (91.85). The hierarchy seemed to suit everyone, as the smiles on everyone's faces were radiant. Young Sola and her mum will tell us otherwise: "For our first visit to the Parc Urbain, we're having a great time. What an atmosphere and what performances! They're so high up in the air on their skateboards," they said just before the medal ceremony got under way. The final "hit" of the evening will be Advance Australia Fair, the Australian anthem that will close a tenth day of festivities at the Parc Urbain, which from 9 August will give way to the breaking competitions. We can't wait!