The Pont Alexandre III, an important competition venue for the Paris 2024 (Popular) Games

From July 27 to August 9, seven medal events from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place around the Pont Alexandre III. From triathlons to road cycling time trials and open-water swimming, many competitions will take place on this structure built at the end of the 19th century and inaugurated in 1900. It is also at the heart of Paris 2024's ambition to organise popular Games in the capital's city centre.

Ever since France was officially awarded the organisation of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris on September 13, 2017, Tony Estanguet, President of the Organising Committee (COJOP), has been fond of repeating the maxim he's made his own: "The Games in the city." It has to be said that the promoters of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games never hesitated to place most of the competition venues close to iconic sites in the French capital.

For example, BMX freestyle, 3x3 basketball, breakdance and skateboarding will be held at La Concorde, while beach volleyball will take place in a huge stadium built a few metres under the Eiffel Tower, fencing and taekwondo at the Grand Palais and archery at Les Invalides. For the triathlon, para-triathlon, open water swimming and road cycling time trials, the Pont Alexandre III will provide the perfect backdrop. "It's right in the centre of the city, surrounded by some of the most beautiful sites in Paris: the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Palais, La Concorde and the Esplanade des Invalides, Louis Comolli, Event Manager for the road events, explains. It's like an Olympic park, of which this site is a part, right in the heart of Paris."

To enable the Olympic and Paralympic competitions to take place in this urban setting, a number of improvements have to be made. These include the construction of grandstands (900 seats on the bridge itself, 5,100 around the structure), a transition platform on the bridge to accommodate triathletes and the creation of a pontoon across the Seine to allow swimmers to jump into the water.

An historical bridge

The Pont Alexandre III is a work of art in its own right. Crossing the river to link the 7th and 8th arrondissements, it was inaugurated on April 14, 1900 to coincide with the Universal Exhibition. At 107 metres long and 45 metres wide, the Pont Alexandre III boasts a number of architectural marvels. At the four ends of the bridge, 17-metre pylons have been built, each adorned at the top with a bronze Pegasus. At the centre of the structure, two hammered copper frontal motifs adorn the keystone of the arch (the Nymphs of the Seine surrounding the arms of Paris upstream; the figure of the Neva and its Nymphs accompanying the golden arms of Russia downstream).

Not surprisingly, the fact that the site is listed as a historic monument makes it difficult for the organisers to turn it into an Olympic venue. "We can't do whatever we want, Louis Comolli sums up. It's a meticulous job, but it's a great challenge."

In fact, to build the temporary structures, wood was chosen for almost half of the spectator areas. Wood is a sustainable, low-carbon material sourced from sustainably managed French forests. The structures are for hire and will therefore be reused at other events.

On site, it has to be said that the opening ceremony on the evening of July 26, followed by the road cycling time trials the next day, will be followed by the triathlon and open water swimming competitions. It's a packed programme that promises some magnificent sporting action and incredible images.

"In addition to this bridge in the heart of Paris, we'll be hosting road events that will be enjoyed by people who aren't lucky enough to have tickets", Louis Comolli notes. Because that's also what Tony Estanguet's "Games in the City" is all about: allowing Parisians and visitors without tickets to take part in the festivities at road events organised in the beating heart of Paris.