Paris 2024 Games: spectacular walking events not to be missed

A traditional event in the history of the Olympic Games, walking will be a feature of this 33rd modern Olympiad, with the added bonus of a new mixed relay race.

1908, London. The first walking events at the so-called ‘modern’ Olympic Games rewarded George Larner in the 3,500m and 10-mile events. Since then, with the exception of the 1928 Games in Amsterdam, walking races have always been part of the competition programme, in various forms (10, 20 and 50 kilometres). For the Paris 2024 Games, it is the 20-kilometre races that have been chosen, as well as the new Marathon Race Walk Relay Mixed. Both men and women will have the pleasure of competing on the one-kilometre circuit set in one of the most prestigious settings (if not the most prestigious), at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

Records to be broken

On Thursday 1 August, the men will get the ball rolling with a 7.30 am start. For the best of them, it will take more or less 1 hour and 20 minutes to cover the 20 kilometres (the Olympic record belongs to Chen Ding, in 1 hour 18 minutes and 46 seconds, achieved in London in 2012). In the women's peloton, which sets off at 9.20 am on the same day, the race promises to be just as intense! Will the Olympic record held by Qieyang Shenjie of 1 hour 25 minutes and 16 seconds be beaten? The chances are real!

A short, intense circuit

The 1,000-metre course will be concentrated near the Eiffel Tower. For the 20-kilometre races, the Trocadéro and its Champions Park will serve as the launch pad facing the Iron Lady. The start of the Marathon Race Walk Relay Mixed will take place on the Iéna bridge (on the Quai Jacques Chirac side). Incidentally, the route is absolutely identical for all the walkers, who will turn left onto the Quai Jacques Chirac, where they will make a U-turn at the intersection with Avenue de la Bourdonnais. At the end of the pont Iéna, at the foot of the Trocadéro, they will turn around again to complete the 1,000 metre loop.

No ticket? Attend the walking competitions for free!

To fully enjoy these great moments of sport, what better way than to take advantage of the free access areas along part of the course? Yes, the walking events are one of the few competitions that the public can watch for free! In this case, the accessible area stretches for several hundred metres on either side of the Quai Jacques Chirac, from the exit of the Pont Iéna to the intersection with the Avenue de la Bourdonnais. Place yourself here and you'll have a front-row seat to follow the exploits of the male and female walkers, with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. This short circuit means you'll be able to watch the athletes go by on numerous occasions. What a great idea!
To enjoy the show on the rest of the circuit, however, you will need to show your ticket, purchased in advance from the official Paris 2024 Games ticket office.

A first: a Marathon Race Walk Relay Mixed

This will be the big attraction of the walking events! The all-new mixed marathon relay will consist of a female walker and a male walker who will take it in turns to cover the marathon distance of 42.195 kilometres. This first edition of the Marathon Race Walk Relay Mixed in the history of the Olympic Games will be held on 7 August from 7.30am, still on the circuit laid out at the foot of the Eiffel Tower (and still accessible free of charge on the part of the Quai Jacques Chirac). So if you come along to this first-ever event, you can be sure of making history with a race format that promises an incredible spectacle.