Paris 2024 Olympics - Showjumping: what did the obstacles present on the Versailles courses in recent days represent?

During the Paris 2024 Olympic Games show jumping competitions held at the Château de Versailles, the various obstacles presented to riders and horses represented themes chosen many months ago. Explanations.

At show jumping competitions, the show is everywhere in the arena. First of all, of course, the horse/rider pairs are the main players in the competition. In search of a clear round, they must avoid the various obstacles: triples, doubles, singles, walls and rivers. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in the gardens of the Château de Versailles, 14 (for 17 efforts) stood in their way in the qualifying round, then 15 (for 19 efforts) in the final.

While victory went to Germany's Christian Kukuk after a jump-off, the show also came from the obstacles themselves. As with every jumping event, the obstacles are effectively designated and represent true works of art. Kept secret until the day of the competition, they were unveiled at the very last moment.

"We tried to find themes that spoke of France, of all its facets, with winks that were sometimes a little kitschy or spectacular," explains Anne Murac, who is responsible for these confidential obstacles and for the cluster of sites located in the Paris Region at Paris 2024. The track manager is Santiago Varela, a Spaniard. He drew up the layout for each of the courses, and then there was a lot of discussion about the obstacles, which were only revealed in the last few days."

Los Angeles 2028 jump to pass the baton

Among the topics covered on the obstacles are several iconic Hexagonean ones: cinema, invented in France by the Lumière brothers; the history of the Games in France between 1924 and 2024; the Champs-Elysées; several bridges on the Seine; La Fontaine's fables; the Opéra Garnier, with a representation of its ceiling and upholstered armchairs; card games, invented in France; gastronomy, with eclairs and macaroons; Morris columns; art-deco; street signs; the Folies de La Villette; the rose window of Notre-Dame; urban art; perfume; the lavender field; the Eiffel Tower; the Statue of Liberty; Tokyo 2020; Olympic sports pictograms; the Phrygians; Paris 2024.

Finally, as is customary, an obstacle in the colors of the next Olympic Games, in this case Los Angeles 2028, was proposed. "It's like passing on the baton," says Anne Murac.

Other themes were also represented during the competitions: Braille, haute couture, vignification, the Parisian ambiance, Mont Blanc, the Little Prince, the Thinker, French gardens, beach cabins, Limoges porcelain and Haussmann.

Photo album of the most beautiful obstacles at Versailles