Olympics felt in the wind of Marseille at sailing test event, the first rehearsal for Paris 2024
The first Paris 2024 test event is taking place in Marseille in the south of France from 9 to 16 July. Ten sailing events are being held at Marseille Marina as athletes, organisers, volunteers and locals experience the Olympic atmosphere a little over a year before the next Games.
Sailing
French flags are floating in the air of Prado Beach, one of the most iconic locations of Marseille. Dozens of containers, here to house sailing equipment, with team colours set next to the Olympic rings are lined up beside sailors heading to Marseille Marina in the summer heat.
The atmosphere of the next Olympics is in the air.
From 9 to 16 July, the first event of the Paris 2024 testing programme is being held in Marseille, the second largest city in France.
The venue is located on the edge of Marseille, 5km from the Vieux-Port, where the Olympic flame will arrive on 8 May from Olympia in Greece. From land you can enjoy a spectacular view of the Frioul archipelago.
It is in this holiday landscape that the Olympic sailing competitions will be hosted from 28 July to 8 August 2024, where 330 athletes will attempt to win medals in one of the 10 events.
This Monday 10 July, races are being hosted for kitesurfing, mixed events and dinghy. A lack of morning wind delays the competition start and athletes along with their personnel are waiting in the shade, as competitors discuss wind orientation.
All of them are waiting for an indication they can begin, which eventually arrives at around 1pm. A wind of around 10 marine knots (19km/h) allows the show to start.
Camille Lecointre: “You have to be polyvalent”
The city of Marseille is surrounded by the mountains of the Marseilleveyre range, the Frioul archipelago and high-rise buildings. Above the landscape, the warm climate is also playing a role in the conditions of the wind, which are constantly evolving.
“The venue is diverse in terms of wind directions. You have to be polyvalent and adept in several weather conditions,” explains Camille Lecointre, a double Olympic bronze medalist in women’s dinghy.
“The topography makes the sailing super interesting,” adds Hannah Snellgrove from Great Britain, who sails in the women’s one-person dinghy.
From the viewpoint of the sea, the scenery is that of a postcard.
The whole of Marseille harbour and its iconic monuments and sites can be seen: Notre-Dame de la Garde Basilica, Velodrome Stadium, Calanques National Park and more.
“It’s a magnificent venue,” says Jeremie Mion, the partner of Camille Lecointre in the mixed dinghy and Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympian. “We can see all the islands, mountains and Calanques…”
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Jérémie Mion and Camille Lecointre (470 mixed) at Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event
A real organisational test
The same number of events as there will be at the Olympic Games are being competed at the test event with around 350 athletes participating, in order to reproduce the same conditions as the Games in 2024.
“The goal is to test all organisational procedures as well as sporting aspects, security on the water and technical and technological installations,” explains Cédric Dufoy, Senior Cluster Manager at Paris 2024.
Four competition zones where several events can be held simultaneously are being put to use: Frioul, Corniche, Marseille and Calanques. All of them can be seen from the marina or the beaches. The furthest point of the field of play is located around 15km from the coast.
A little more than a year before the Games, three of the five planned new buildings are already operational, including the new French Sailing Olympic Centre, which is already being used by the French team. It will serve as a base during the next Olympiads.
Volunteers and athletes get a feel for the Games
This test event is also the perfect moment to test how volunteers will work during the Games. Such is the case of Céline, who has been selected for the test event volunteer programme. After welcoming athletes and directing them to the venue, the 46-year-old teacher boarded the media boat.
“Photographers tell us what they need and we try to position the boat as well as possible in order for them to take good shots without disturbing the athletes or organisers.”
For athletes as well, the event allows them to ready themselves for the different requests they will need to deal with during the Games, including those from the media.
“There is a lot of press,” explains Jean-Baptiste Bernaz, who participated in four Olympic Games in the one-person dinghy. “This kind of event attracts more personnel and media than athletes, which is not easy to handle. Practicing this during the test event is a good opportunity as we won’t experience it for the first time during the Games.”
Marseille locals get ready to welcome the Games
The people of Marseille are also getting ready for the Games. In the bakery in front of the Olympic venue, one of the employees explains what the feeling is like.
“We see Canadians, Chinese and Australian people and we’re learning to speak English!”
In the summer afternoon, the beaches of Marseille are full and, even if the event was not open to the general public, some of them have had the chance to enjoy the show.
The organising committee has made it their goal that the entire territory gets to enjoy the Games. It’s a decision that many in Marseille have welcomed, including Raphaël, a 19-year-old local who witnessed the kitesurfing.
“It’s great to have Olympic events in Marseille. It galvanises the city,” he says.
Thérèse, 76, feels the occasions can give new life to the city.
“It’s interesting as there will be nice infrastructure and it will renew the atmosphere,” she explains.
In addition to the sailing events, ten football matches will be held in the mythical Stade Vélodrome, the home of Olympique de Marseille football club.
“People from all around the world can discover the passion the French and the people of Marseille have for football,” says Betsa, a 22-year-old from Aix-en-Provence, which is located 30km far from Marseille. “Here, people have football in their blood and it will be cool at the Olympic Games.”
In 2023, other test events will be held in Paris with triathlon in August and Mountain bike in September.