Yves-du-Manoir Stadium: Hockey players share their excitement about playing in the legendary Paris 2024 venue that became world-famous 100 years ago when France last hosted the Games
This year, the world’s best hockey players have the opportunity to compete together in a historic venue at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Yves-du-Manoir Stadium, located in Colombes on the outskirts of Paris, is the only Paris 2024 venue that will feature in a second Olympic Games, following the Games in Paris in 1924. One hundred years ago, the stadium hosted the Opening Ceremony of the Games of the VIII Olympiad. Initially designed by architect Louis Faure-Dujarric, it was also the venue for athletics events.
The modernised venue will now play host to close to 15,000 spectators at Paris 2024, with the 12 women’s and men’s hockey teams competing for Olympic glory there from 26 July to 11 August.
“It is an incredible ode to the sportsmen and women of the past and those who came before us,” said Giselle Ansley, a member of the British women’s team who won gold at Rio 2016, in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com.
Read on to discover the reactions of more hockey players as they prepare to make sporting history at Yves-du-Manoir Stadium.
From a racecourse to the Olympic stadium - over a century of history
The story of Yves-du-Manoir Stadium is steeped in history. Originally built as a racecourse in 1883, the stadium has played host to a multitude of athletes for over more than a century, making it one of the most important venues in France.
During the Paris 1924 Olympic Games, the stadium really came to the attention of the watching world. The Opening Ceremony took place within its walls, with hundreds of athletes and thousands of spectators in attendance, including Britain’s Prince of Wales, the future British king Edward VIII and Princess Elisabeth of Romania.
It was an impressive celebration of sport held on French soil, just six years after the end of the First World War. Over the coming days, the athletics, rugby and marathon events continued to attract large amounts of spectators to the stadium.
An “impressive” opportunity to compete in a legendary stadium
One hundred years on from the last Olympics in France, Yves-du-Manoir is preparing to return to the world stage. The Hauts-de-Seine department, owners of the stadium since 2002, have worked to modernise the venue so that it is ready to host the hockey tournaments at Paris 2024.
And the historic significance is not lost on the hockey players hoping to compete at Paris 2024.
"It's always a special feeling to take part in the Olympic Games," explained Alexander Hendrickx, who was part of the Belgium team that won gold at Tokyo 2020. "And if we're playing in a stadium that has historic value, it's even more impressive."
It is a view shared by Belgium captain Felix Denayer, who spoke to use during the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Valencia in January 2024, where Belgium obtained its quota. "To be able to write a bit of history, a hundred years on, is going to be very special. We're really looking forward to it," he said.
"Reconnecting with the past"
Yves-du-Manoir Stadium is a unique venue in France, where the past and future of the sport converge. "I think it's incredibly special," added Ansley. "It's a great way to reconnect with the past. We always talk about it in our team.
"It's about the people who came before us and the people who paved the way for us to be able to do what we do today. It's an incredible ode to the sportsmen and women of the past and those who came before us. So, yes, it will be very special," she continued.
For Max Caldas, a former Argentina player and current coach of Spain’s men’s team, the return of the Olympics to the French capital will be special.
"Playing in Paris, in a city so emblematic of world sport, and at such a historic moment, is really great," he said.
And so it seems the world’s best hockey players have a date with history in Yves-du-Manoir Stadium when the hockey tournaments take place from 27 July to 9 August in Colombes.