For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, all the medal-winning athletes will be gathered almost every day, in the same place, in contact with the general public, in an open and free environment. “An additional time to share emotions that we wanted to create for athletes and fans”, summarizes Brice Guyart, in charge of athlete engagement at Paris 2024.
The Champions Park (or park of champions), open ten days, during the Games from 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., will be set up at the Trocadéro in Paris (16th century), on the site where the epilogue of the opening ceremony will take place on July 26. 15,000 people are expected each day.
A parade of medalists every day at 5:30 p.m.
The international athletes will come there the day after their exploits and will parade, by sport, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., on a long footbridge, installed in the middle of the public. The large screens will then be turned on so that spectators can follow the competitions scheduled for the evening. The Palais de Chaillot will serve as a hospitality area for the medalists and their relatives, the idea of the Champions Park also being to offer the athletes a friendly space, outside the Olympic Village.
The project was born out of a collaboration with the Athletes’ Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “We wanted to feed on feedback from international athletes, especially the stars. They encouraged us by telling us that they really wanted to participate in this system, ”explains Martin Fourcade, the biathlon champion, now a member of this commission. A thousand medalists should come to the Trocadero, some with relatives.
“We wanted to strengthen the athlete experience, continues Martin Fourcade. During my Olympic medal in Vancouver in 2010, between the end of my race and the moment when I am given the medal, I only see my parents. We return to the Olympic village, at no time do I have the opportunity to touch them, to kiss them, I see them for five minutes at Club France, in the middle of a lot of people. It was a real frustration not to have a place to share a moment with them. Champions Park was also built so that the athletes could have their own space. »
The five-time Olympic champion assures him: “This moment when you receive your medal is ephemeral, often very solemn. We want to create a moment of sharing. The idea is not to modify the protocol, but to enrich it, to bring more flavor to it. »
Like, in particular, what the French athletes had experienced in 2021, when they returned from the Tokyo Olympics, where they had been celebrated by the public. “We want to commune with people from all over the world, in the heart of the city, concludes Martin Fourcade. This concept has been enriched by everyone’s desires and experiences in order to create something new and festive. »
