The program is precise. As the Olympic and Paralympic Games (JOP) in Paris approach, the Adidas Arena, erected in the north of the capital on the edge of the ring road which runs along the Porte de la Chapelle (18th century), refines its calendar. Its delivery scheduled between January and February 2024, the new Parisian performance hall will receive from March the cream of international badminton during an official tournament. The opportunity to test the complex under the conditions of the Olympic Games.
Four months before vying for the Olympic title, the best badminton players in the world will meet in the heart of the Arena with 8,000 seats (9,000 in concert formation) from March 5 to 10 during the French Open badminton (IFB) . The event, organized every year on All Saints’ Day at the Pierre-de-Coubertin stadium (15th century) is therefore relocated and brought forward to March in order to count in the race for Olympic qualification.
A life-size test
Although this event is not officially registered as an “Olympic Games test-event”, it will nevertheless make it possible to test the infrastructure under conditions similar to the Games since the badminton events as well as those of rhythmic gymnastics, then para- badminton and para-weightlifting, will stick to it. A competition on which the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (Cojo) intends to rely, we are told within the organization.
“The French Badminton Federation (FFBaD) supports 9 recurring tournaments, including the flagship competition, the IFBs. The coming months will be exceptional until the 2025 worlds (Editor’s note, also organized in Paris) ”, rejoices for his part Yohan Penel, the president of the federal body.
MMA, rap, electro, basketball…
If the construction of the Adidas Arena has been delayed, the fault in particular of difficulties in supplying steel due to the Ukrainian conflict, the home stretch is underway. The impressive 1,000-ton metal frame was installed at the start of the year. At the same time, the management of the site has already unveiled part of the program including a rap concert, that of the Ile-de-France artist Zola, on May 3, 2024.
“We will organize MMA competitions, the Ares Fighting Championship, e-sport competitions, rap and electro concerts there”, announced Nicolas Dupeux, general manager of the Accor Arena, Adidas. Arena and the Bataclan, during a visit to the hall in early February. The Adidas Arena must also become the new den of Paris Basketball. The capital club, which will thus leave the Georges-Carpentier hall (13th), hopes to play its first matches in the enclosure as soon as it opens.
In addition to a hundred events per year, the complex, also equipped with two brand new gymnasiums, aims to benefit local residents with access to sports facilities dedicated to clubs, associations and schools in the district. A whole commercial offer will also be accessible daily on the Arena floor. The site is intended to become “a catalyst for the transformation of this northern Parisian territory around sporting and musical events, urban culture”, declared Nicolas Dupeux.
2023-04-27 11:44:00
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