Yves-du-Manoir Stadium inauguration: Discover the new features and history of this legendary Olympic venue and schedule of events
This is a historic day for sport.
On Tuesday 19 March, Yves-du-Manoir Stadium was officially inaugurated in Colombes, near Paris. This is the only French venue to host the Olympic Games for a second time, after having been a key feature of the Olympic Games Paris 1924.
From 26 July to 11 August 2024, this stadium, with its rich sporting heritage, will host the hockey events for these Games of the XXXIII Olympiad Paris.
“Today’s inauguration of Yves-du-Manoir Stadium brings us a great deal of confidence in this final stretch before the Olympics," said Tony Estanguet, president of Paris 2024.
“For the Organising Committee, which I chair, it is a great source of satisfaction. Everything we love about this project is here. It’s a wonderful nod to history, to French sporting heritage. We know what this stadium has represented in the history of French sport and the history of the Games.”
Discover the new face of this symbolic stadium, its rich history and the week's festivities programme.
From Paris 1924 to Paris 2024, a century of sporting events
Over the course of a century, Yves-du-Manoir Stadium has hosted more than 200 sporting events, including the 1938 football World Cup final and numerous finals of the French rugby union championship.
Originally built as a racecourse in 1883, the Yves-du-Manoir really made a name for itself during the Olympic Games 1924, which established the venue as a monument to world sports.
The stadium was the centre of attention as the venue for the VIII Olympiad Opening Ceremony; it was also the venue for Olympic athletic events, including rugby and marathon.
Yves-du-Manoir Stadium has also left its mark through the stories that have unfolded within it, such as the rivalry between British athletes Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, which was brought to light a few decades later in the film Chariots of Fire.
“When we last held the Summer Games 100 years ago, it [the venue] was the beating heart [of the Games]. The Opening Ceremony, the competition - it was an iconic venue," added Estanguet.
“It’s really great to see the venue come alive again 100 years later for Paris 2024. What we like about the project is the excellence with which it was conceived and built, with the skills behind the quality of the construction and an unprecedented ecological ambition, including a proposal for renewable energy with 90 per cent of the materials recycled or re-used.
"It will leave a legacy for the French field hockey federation and the local residents.”
Yves-du-Manoir rises from the ashes after two years of renovations
To meet the standards required for Paris 2024, the stadium has undergone a great deal of work in recent years. The Hauts-de-Seine department, which has owned the stadium since 2002, has invested more than €90.8 million to build three Olympic pitches, two buildings including one with a 1,000-seat stand and seven multisport areas, as well as renovating the stands from 1924 to make the venue an even bigger part of history.
Between May 2022 and early 2024, Yves-du-Manoir was redeveloped to accommodate the Olympic hockey events, while complying with new environmental regulations and retaining its historic grandeur.
“It’s exceptional to be able to play in this stadium, especially as our sport isn’t so popular in France, so it’s a great pleasure to be able to play in a stadium like this," French hockey player Gaspard Xavier, who finished third with the French national team at the U21 Hockey World Cup in 2021, told Olympics.com. "And in terms of history, too. It’s incredible 100 years later to be able to come here and play hockey in these historic facilities.”
Plan of events
The Yves-du-Manoir Stadium inauguration features a week of events for the general public. Discover the programme of festivities, which runs from 18 to 23 March.
Monday 18 to Saturday 23 March
Admission is free. Times are as follows: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday; and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
- Discover the Olympic site
- "A Historic Stadium" exhibition featuring archive images and photographs of the highlights of the Olympic Games dating back to 1924.
Saturday 23 March
- CAM 92 vs RCF hockey matches
o 3 p.m.: Elite Women's hockey match
o 5 p.m.: Elite Men's hockey match - Free introductory sports sessions offered by partner clubs in the Hauts-de-Seine region
- Free entertainment for children
- Bands, DJ and food trucks