Paris, July 19, 2024, The Europe Today: The Paris Olympic Village officially opened its doors on Thursday, warmly welcoming athletes from around the globe who are poised to embark on their Olympic journey.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach was present to mark the occasion, visiting the village on its opening day.
The upcoming Olympic Games, starting on July 26, will see approximately 10,500 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees and the Refugee Olympic Team competing. Most of these athletes will be housed in the Paris Olympic Village, a sprawling 54-hectare site located by the Seine River. Additionally, athletes will be accommodated in satellite villages situated in Chateauroux (shooting), Lille (basketball preliminaries and handball), Marseille (sailing), and Tahiti (surfing).
Bach, accompanied by Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Organizing Committee, and Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, chair of the Paris 2024 Coordination Commission, welcomed the athletes as they moved into the village.
“Finally, we are here,” Bach praised, commending the facilities available to athletes during the Games. “It has been a long journey these seven years, but it has been a hugely rewarding one thanks to our friends at the Organizing Committee under the leadership of Tony Estanguet and his team, who have worked closely with our IOC Coordination Commission under the leadership of Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant. We have a wonderful Olympic Village, and all the ingredients for a great Olympic Games are here.”
The Olympic Village is designed to be a home away from home for athletes during the Games. It features a 3,200-seat dining hall, a 24-hour gym, a 3,500-square-meter polyclinic, and a small supermarket. To ensure these facilities meet the needs of athletes, the Paris 2024 Athletes’ Commission invited representatives from five continents to provide feedback during the planning and construction phases. The goal was to create an environment where athletes can focus on their competitions.
Athletes can relax and connect at the Village Club while watching Olympic broadcasts. The “Athlete 365 Space” offers information on IOC support programs, enhancing awareness on issues such as anti-doping and match-fixing. Elections for the Athlete Commission members will also be held here.
After the Games, the Village will become an integral part of the Seine-Saint-Denis region. The site’s housing, shops, public facilities, workplaces, and green spaces are set to meet the long-term living needs of 6,000 residents and provide jobs for 6,000 people. The new neighborhood will feature 2,500 new homes, a hotel, student residences, approximately seven hectares of gardens and parks, 120,000 square meters of offices and city services, and 3,200 square meters of neighborhood shops.
Designed with future climatic conditions in mind, the Village incorporates plants and water features in public areas to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games will take place from July 26 to August 11, followed by the Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8.
