The six Paris landmarks turning into sporting venues
Some of the city’s most famous attractions will be transformed when the Olympics come to town.
The 80,000-seat Stade de France in Saint-Denis will be centre stage for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, hosting the athletics, rugby sevens and the closing ceremony. There’s plenty of action elsewhere, however. In fact, some of France’s most famous landmarks will be transformed into sporting venues.
River Seine
The famous river, which has been closed to swimmers due to pollution for 100 years, is undergoing a billion-dollar clean-up ahead of the Games. About 650,000 spectators will line its banks for the Opening Ceremony. Organisers are also preparing to use the waterway for the swimming leg of the Olympic and Paralympic triathlons, as well as the swimming marathon. Public bathing is likely to return to certain sections of the river by 2025.
Eiffel Tower
Several facilities will be erected around the city’s most famous monument. A 12,800-seat Eiffel Tower Stadium will be on the lawns of the Champ de Mars to host the beach volleyball and Paralympics blind football competition. Nearby, the Grand Palais Overlay will become the Champ de Mars Arena, the site of judo, wrestling and wheelchair rugby.
Grand Palais
Currently under renovation, the glass-roofed venue between the Seine and Champs-Elysees will be completed in time to showcase taekwondo and fencing.
Place de la Concorde
Paris’s largest public space will be transformed into a 37,000-capacity urban sports hub, hosting events such as skateboarding, 3x3 basketball, BMX freestyle and the Games’ newest sporting addition, breaking.
Chateau de Versailles
Tickets to the modern pentathlon, equestrian dressage and jumping will be hot commodities thanks to the events’ stunning location among the manicured gardens of Versailles. An outdoor arena will be built on the Etoile Royal Esplanade, and the cross-country competition will take place alongside the Grand Canal.
Esplanade des Invalides
A grandstand will be built on the lawns in front of the historic Hotel des Invalides in Paris’s 7th Arrondissement for the Olympic and Paralympic archery competitions.