Paris Olympics 2024: France is ready to welcome the world with arms “Wide Open”
Opening ceremonies to take place outside the stadium for the first time in Olympic Games history – surfing to be held in Tahiti, sailing in Marseille, volleyball at the Eiffel Tower
On July 26, 2024, for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games the Opening Ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics will be held outside of a sports stadium. Thousands of spectators will line a six-kilometre route along the banks of the iconic River Seine in Paris awaiting the arrival of some 15,000 athletes from 206 countries who will arrive by boat, proudly waving the flag of their country amidst the roar and cheers from the crowd. Although approximately 10,000 people will have tickets to the opening ceremonies, thousands of others will enjoy free public admission.
Called Opening Ceremony Beyond Stadiums, this event is aptly named. While the Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremonies will be held along the river Seine, the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games will take place on August 28th beginning at the bottom of the Champs-Élysées to Place de la Concorde. These two major celebrations held outside of traditional stadiums will shine the spotlight on the City of Lights in a unique, festive, progressive and unifying way.
13 million tickets
The Summer Olympics take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024, followed by the Paralympic Games running from August 28 to September 8. Some 13 million tickets are available. Visitors will also see newer urban sport competitions geared to attract a more youthful audience, including skateboarding and ‘breaking’ (at the crossroads of art, dance and music).
Paris 2024 by the Numbers
“Games Wide Open”
The theme of the Paris 2024 Games is Games Wide Open.
“It has been 100 years since France last hosted the largest sporting event in Paris and this is a wonderful opportunity and a symbol of opening our arms to the world as we showcase what France has to offer,” says Michel Miraillet, French Ambassador in Canada at a recent press conference.
The Paris 2024 will certainly make their mark on history as several games are being moved out of stadiums and into the heart of the city at existing venues. French heritage, architecture and universal sport competition will be highlighted in places you would never expect such as at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and other historic landmarks.
Competition at the Foot of the Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower, the most iconic and world-renowned landmark, will be the site of Eiffel Tower Stadium where the beach volleyball and Paralympic football events will take place. Imagine cheering for your team with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop.
Champ-de-Mars
The large public garden at the foot of the Eiffel Tower will host the para-judo, freestyle wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling and wheelchair rugby events.
The Palace of Versailles
Built by Louis XIV and a symbol of French royalty, the renowned Palace of Versailles will host the horse riding, para-horse riding and modern pentathlon events. The jaw dropping palace and stunning gardens are just outside the city, but easily accessible by rail.
Esplanade des Invalides
The former military hospital built by Louis XIV houses the tomb of Napoleon as well as monuments linked to French military history and next year will make history as the host of the archery and para-archery competitions, as well as being the start of the marathon and road cycling events.
And Outside of Paris…Sailing in Marseille and Surfing in Tahiti
In the south, The Marseille Marina within the harbour and renovated Roucas Blanc will host the Olympic sailing events. To catch the Olympic surfing events head to Teahupo’o in Tahiti (French Polynesia) which is renowned for having some of the best waves in the world.
Paris 2024 Olympics Designed for Celebration, Engagement, Sustainability, Accessibility and Legacy
Sustainability is a key pillar of the 2024 Games. “The goal is to reduce our carbon footprint by half with very little new building required,” states Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee. Existing infrastructure will support heritage and sustainability with 95% existing infrastructure being used in addition to temporary Paris assets used to limit emissions.”
Sustainable Games
Using existing structures
Cleverly, Olympic organizers are using existing buildings such as the Stade de France, home of the Football World Cup in 1998 and the largest stadium in France, which will host athletics and para-athletics as well as seven rugby events. Field hockey events will be held at Stade Yves-du-Manoir was the Olympic Stadium for the Paris Games in 1924. Grande Palais is a historic building constructed for the Universal Exhibition in 1900 and will host the taekwondo, para-taekwondo, fencing and wheelchair fencing events.
This is a chance for visitors to see Paris and the regions of the country like before! Truly a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list experience. For more information and tickets or packages visit paris2024.org., visitparisregion.com, explore paris.com or #EXPLOREFRANCE.
Meet the French Ambassador in Canada
Michel Miraillet – French Ambassador in Canada
Born in April 1960, Michel Miraillet, was the director general for global affairs of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the G7/G20 sous sherpa from March 2020 to September 2022. He was previously from September 2017 the French Ambassador to Brazil and to the United Arab Emirates from 2013 to 2017, after six years spent from August 2007 to August 2013 as the Director for strategic affairs and the defence policy director of the French Ministry of Defence.
A career diplomat, M. Miraillet, before joining the Ministry of Defence, served as the Director for International and Strategic Affairs of the Secretariat General for National Defence, an agency attached to the Prime Minister’s office conducting the coordination of governmental action on issues concerning France’s internal and external security. As a member of the French diplomatic service, Michel Miraillet held various posts abroad: deputy head of mission in Israel (2001–2004), political advisor to the French mission to NATO (1997–2000), Political counsellor in Cairo (1995–1997) and counsellor to the French mission to the United Nations in New York, in charge of security, disarmament and UNSCOM affairs (1992–1995). He served from 1988 to 1992 in Paris as the desk officer for Iraq/Iran issues and as the deputy head of the MFA’s body in charge of the control of armament exports. From 2004 to 2006, he joined the Administration directorate of the Quai d’Orsay as the deputy head of the staff department. Michel Miraillet was appointed in 2007 and in 2013 as a member of the commission drafting the French white papers on defence and national security issued in 2008 and 2013. He graduated from ENA, France’s school for public administration, the Paris Institute for Political Sciences and various Paris universities (Masters in law and economics, Bachelor in Arts). Minister Plenipotentiary Michel Miraillet was named French Ambassador to Ottawa by decree of the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron dated September 13, 2022. He started his functions on September 22, 2022.
Meet the president of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Committee
Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games
Tony Estanguet is three-time European champion, three-time world champion and three-time Olympic champion, was France’s flag bearer at the Beijing Games and is the first French athlete to have won three gold medals at the three different Olympiads (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and London 2012).
He was selected to the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes Commission in 2012 and has been especially involved in the IOC’s sustainability and Legacy Commission. He has also been VicePresident of the International Canoe Federation since 2014. He co-chaired the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Bid Committee alongside Bernard Lapasset and all the stakeholders involved in the project – the sports movement, civil society, public sector and private sector.
This campaign won France the Games after the country’s bids had been declined five times.
As President of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, his aim is to bring together all the communities and organizations that want to take part of the Olympic and Paralympic adventure to showcase France at its finest and tender a new model for more spectacular, more responsible and more open Games.
Tony Estanguet was born in Pau on May 6, 1978, and grew up in a family of sports enthusiasts – who especially enjoyed nature sports in the nearby Pyrenees. He has already started sharing this passion for all sports with his three children.
by Laurie Wallace-Lynch
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