Perfect place for a celebration. For its tenth edition, the Smartcities & Sport Summit has chosen Paris, the host city of the next Summer Games. A form of evidence.
The event organized by the World Union of Olympic Cities opens this Tuesday, November 28 in a hotel in the French capital, a stone’s throw from the Eiffel Tower, with a distinguished guest: Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC . It will continue on Wednesday morning in one of the venues of the Paris 2024 Games, the Roland-Garros stadium.
A few hours before the first day, FrancsGames questioned Pierre Rabadan, the deputy mayor of Paris in charge of Sport, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Seine.
FrancsJeux: Less than 250 days before the opening of the Olympic Games, is Paris ready?
Pierre Rabadan : No not yet. Temporary sites have not been installed, approach areas have not been finalized. The work is planned, it will be refined. The goal is to be ready on July 26, 2024. Not before. We have no reason to be ready eight months before the Games. But we are sticking to the schedule that was set.
The presence of the upcoming Games still remains very discreet in Paris. When are you going to dress the city in Olympic and Paralympic colors?
There was no question of doing it too soon. Some partners of the Games have done so, the banking group BPCE in particular, which has already dressed a tower in the colors of Paris 2024 in the Bercy district. The Ministry of Sports, too. We wanted to wait, not start too early, because the decorative elements can be damaged over time. But we are going to kick things off this week, by lighting up the facade of the Town Hall with the Olympic rings from this Tuesday, November 28. Then, throughout the month of December, district town halls will be dressed in the look of the Games. Some public buildings will follow. The idea is to gradually build up the atmosphere of the Games.
Were you inspired by one or other of the last host cities of the Games to give Paris an Olympic dimension?
We looked at what was done in London and Rio. But our concept is different, completely innovative, with competition sites in the heart of the city, in its historical heritage. The Place de la Concorde for urban sports, the Invalides, the Trocadéro for archery, the Alexandre III bridge for triathlon and open water swimming… This is the spirit we wanted to give. We have never deviated from this line. The central material legacy of the Games will be the new Arena at Porte de la Chapelle. It will completely change entry into Paris from the north, which was until now difficult, with an urban divide. This new equipment and its environment will create a link with Seine-Saint-Denis.
Will the Paris Games improve the supply of sports equipment for the general public?
Paris is a very dense city, where the rate of equipment per inhabitant is not among the most efficient. The city lacks available square meters to build sports practice venues. It’s not new. The Games cannot change this reality. Whenever we can, we build equipment. Two gymnasiums are built next to the Arena at Porte de la Chapelle. In Paris, sports equipment is also widely used. They wear out quickly. The Games will not transform the city in terms of the number of sports grounds, but they will have an impact on their quality thanks to a renovation plan.
What impact will the Games have on the city of Paris?
The Games served as an accelerator. They have a unique advantage: a date that cannot be pushed back. Things must be done on time. In six years, we have achieved what, without the Games, would have taken 12 or 15 years. Accessibility, in particular. But also taking into account climate change.
Have you been forced, due to lack of time or resources, to abandon projects announced during the application phase?
We would have liked to be able to make the transport network fully accessible. But we have known for a long time that this was not possible. In the metro, the work is enormous. We did it for the buses. The network will be 100% accessible, an effort which required an investment of 10 million euros over 2023 and 2024. We would also like to take advantage of the Games to improve the quality of transport. The network is very good, the service now needs to be more efficient on a daily basis. But we have never given up on our ambition on the concept of the Games, despite the difficulties: the health crisis, the war in Ukraine, inflation, the Middle East… We will deliver the Games on time, in remaining within the initial budget envelope.
Once the Games are over, will Paris remain a city of major sporting events?
It was already there before the Games. Between 2015 and 2024, Paris will have hosted between 20 and 25 major international events. That was our strategy. We will pursue it. Ambition will not stop on the last day of the Paralympic Games. We are already working on 2025 and 2026, including projects on the European swimming championships, futsal and electronic sports. Major sporting events create attractiveness, they give rise to vocations.
2023-11-27 21:25:14
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