Paris 2024

[Sir Rols]

Paris will again be the city of love ❤️ 

Intimacy ban lifted for athletes ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics

The intimacy ban for Paris Olympics has been lifted with organisers making 300,000 free condoms available in the athletes village.

[sebastien1214]

Big information that has just come out: according to l'Equipe*, the Olympic cauldron would be installed in the eastern part of the Tuileries garden.

It's located between Place de la Concorde and the Palais du Louvre, in the "extension" of the courtyard of the Louvre (you know, where the pyramid is). The location is also located in the “royal axis”: the alignment of the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysées, the Place de la Concorde and the Louvre Palace. To give you an idea of what it looks like in terms of perspective, a photo taken from the Tuileries gardens:

One question still remains to be decided: will the flame be lit, during the OOC, directly in the Tuileries garden, or will it be lit at the Trocadéro (then "moved" during the night to its location definitive)?

*https://www.lequipe.fr/Jo-2024-paris/Tous-sports/Actualites/Les-tuileries-favoris-pour-accueillir-la-flamme-olympique-pendant-les-jeux-olympiques/1455898

[StefanMUC]

J‘approuve!

Tuileries are a good setting and very centrally accessible, also close to all the „youth“ sports at Concorde.

 

[yoshi]

Great place, a new monument for the world's greatest street axis  Will you be able to see it from the river/where the ceremony is though?

[Cyriln]

25 minutes ago, yoshi said:

Will you be able to see it from the river/where the ceremony is though?

It depends on how high the cauldron will be placed, given that it will be in a tree-lined garden.

If you've ever watched the last stage of the Tour de France, you've certainly noticed the Ferris wheel 1km from the finish line. The cauldron should be very close to it. Maybe watching a replay of any race in recent years can give you an idea on how it could look.

[Guilga]

Not any city in the universe can boast having a Olympic Calduron near the Louvre! Hope the design of the calduron is also a banger. This also is convenient for the Paras Opening, as it is near Concorde.

[sebastien1214]

Yesterday there was a full-scale rehearsal of the Olympic torch relay in the Aube department in the presence of Tony Estanguet and the Minister of Sports. For those who are interested, here is the link to the Paris 2024 press release including photos and a video of around twelve minutes.

https://presse.paris2024.org/actualites/la-flamme-sest-preparee-a-briller-dans-le-departement-de-laube-61fe-e0190.html

https://sharing.oodrive.com/share-access/sharings/xlLTtZgS.o5Lg5ILg#/filer/share-access

[baron-pierreIV]

On 3/20/2024 at 3:14 PM, sebastien1214 said:

Big information that has just come out: according to l'Equipe*, the Olympic cauldron would be installed in the eastern part of the Tuileries garden.

It's located between Place de la Concorde and the Palais du Louvre, in the "extension" of the courtyard of the Louvre (you know, where the pyramid is). The location is also located in the “royal axis”: the alignment of the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysées, the Place de la Concorde and the Louvre Palace. To give you an idea of what it looks like in terms of perspective, a photo taken from the Tuileries gardens:

One question still remains to be decided: will the flame be lit, during the OOC, directly in the Tuileries garden, or will it be lit at the Trocadéro (then "moved" during the night to its location definitive)?

*https://www.lequipe.fr/Jo-2024-paris/Tous-sports/Actualites/Les-tuileries-favoris-pour-accueillir-la-flamme-olympique-pendant-les-jeux-olympiques/1455898

I think it's possible to have the two locations lit on the same OC night.  If they keep the Eiffel location, then it's because it will have physical proximity and continuity with events happening at Trocadero.  But they can also blend in simultaneous images from a lighting at the Tuileries.  

And then, I think having the Eiffel, the Beach Volleyball venue there and the cauldron all beside each other, would be TOO MUCH of a concentration of too many bodies ("soft collateral damage" in Interpol talk) together.  If they maintain the cauldron lit throughout the 17 days at Eiffel, its gas tanks will be closeby and really be a hazard for the tourist crowds lined up for the Tower and for the Beach Volleyball events.  (Whereas over at Tuileries, having the gas tanks closeby could create less casualties there should the unforeseen happen than at the more densely packed Champs du Mars.) 

And in the OC, once the Eiffel cauldron is lit, the whole tower will explode with fireworks and its shimmering lights -- so there will also be the problem of all the fireworks casings hitting the crowds gathered around the Eiffel.  

I think for safety's sakes -- and specially now with the news of the terror attacks in Moscow, the TE team is taking "terrorist" attacks seriously.  I imagine Allianz is telling TE to think twice about doing the OC as openly as planned.  

Edited March 23, 2024 by baron-pierreIV

[sebastien1214]

12 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

I think it's possible to have the two locations lit on the same OC night.  If they keep the Eiffel location, then it's because it will physical proximity and continuity with events happening at Trocadero.  But they can also blend in simultaneous images from a lighting at the Tuileries.   

Like you, I think we can have two locations. If they start with this hypothesis, it remains to be seen how they will organize the transition between the two cauldrons.

12 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

And then, I think having the Eiffel, the Beach Volleyball venue there and the cauldron all beside each other, would be TOO MUCH of a concentration of too many bodies ("soft collateral damage" in Interpol talk) together.  And in the OC, once the Eiffel cauldron is lit, the whole tower will explode with fireworks and its shimmering lights -- so there will also be the problem of all the fireworks casings hitting the crowds gathered around the Eiffel.  

Every year, for Bastille Day, there is a huge half-hour fireworks show at the Eiffel Tower plus a concert on the Champ-de-Mars with tens of thousands of people. Knowing that the Trocadéro is even further away, I don't see why this would be a security problem.

12 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

I think for safety's sakes -- and specially now with the news of the terror attacks in Moscow, the TE team is taking "terrorist" attacks seriously.  I imagine Allianz is telling TE to think twice about doing the OC as openly as planned.  

The risk of terrorist attacks has always been taken seriously into account as soon as the games were organized. Especially in France where we know only too well the terrorist risk compared to what has happened over the last ten years. Having seen the hearings regarding the planned security plan, I can assure you that very few other countries in the world can boast of having such a level of preparation and security. Even if, and I remind you, zero risk does not exist and we will only know on the big day if everything goes as planned.

As for what happened in Russia, let us remember that the United States had precise information, that they transmitted it a few days before to the Russian authorities, and that the latter decided to ignore it. This heinous attack was largely preventable and the Russian authorities also have in their hands the blood of dozens of deaths last night.

 

 

[baron-pierreIV]

21 minutes ago, sebastien1214 said:

As for what happened in Russia, let us remember that the United States had precise information, that they transmitted it a few days before to the Russian authorities, and that the latter decided to ignore it. This heinous attack was largely preventable and the Russian authorities also have in their hands the blood of dozens of deaths last night.

No argument from me on this.  I guess even more heads will roll at what is it now? FSB or KRU or YGB agencies in Moscow?  

Also, the Tuileries location is more open, probably will allow for easier crowd control and maybe they can disguise the gas tanks and connections much better over there than at Champ-de-Mars.  Also, if the cauldron was going to be right at the base of Eiffel, there would be too many shadows in the daytime for photo opps.  And the photo backdrops are limited to the BV stands on one end and only the Troc way down at the other end.  Whereas over at Tuileries, the location would afford more photogenic vistas than at the Eiffel location--not to mention the Ferris Wheel riders will have an extra new subject to shoot from the ride.  

Edited March 23, 2024 by baron-pierreIV
x

[sebastien1214]

6 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

No argument from me on this.  I guess even more heads will roll at what is it now? FSB or KRU or YGB agencies in Moscow?  

Also, the Tuileries location is more open, probably will allow for easier crowd control and maybe they can disguise the gas tanks and connections much better over there than at Champ-de-Mars.  Also, if the cauldron was going to be right at the base of Eiffel, there would be too many shadows in the daytime for photo opps.  And the photo backdrops are limited to the BV stands on one end and only the Troc way down at the other end.  Whereas over at Tuileries, the location would afford more photogenic vistas than at the Eiffel location--not to mention the Ferris Wheel riders will have an extra new subject to shoot from the ride.  

I think that the Russian regime today is so corrupt and f***ed up that no head will roll, because we only ask one thing from these people: loyalty to Putin. They can do anything on the side, as long as they support Putin, they have immunity. I expect to see other attacks in Russia soon (and then hey, if the terrorists turn away from Europe to target Russia because they see that it is simpler, I will say cynically that that does not suit us bad for the organization of the Olympic Games...)

And for the advantages of the location at the Tuileries, I totally agree with you. To be honest I thought that the Olympic cauldron would be at the Trocadéro, between the two wings of the Palais de Chaillot but the palace is still high and I was afraid that the flame would be a little smothered by the buildings around. At least, in the Tuileries garden, there is more space around.

(for obvious reasons, I never believed that the Olympic cauldron would be at the Eiffel Tower. It's just impossible for structural reasons and also for security reasons)

[Bear]

Volunteer uniforms revealed:

[TorchbearerSydney]

The volunteers uniforms are nice- but it might be hard to pick them out in a huge crowd....usually volunteers have a splash of bright colour to make them more visible.

[Sir Rols]

7 minutes ago, TorchbearerSydney said:

The volunteers uniforms are nice- but it might be hard to pick them out in a huge crowd....usually volunteers have a splash of bright colour to make them more visible.

The jackets at least should stand out a bit more. Otherwise, yeah, nice I guess.

[baron-pierreIV]

Those look so sedate and easy to copy.  On the whole, Paris 2024's Design palette is a major disappointment.  Such huh? choices.  

[sebastien1214]

On 3/16/2024 at 6:59 PM, sebastien1214 said:

We are only a month away from the start of the Olympic torch relay, and some information about the start of the relay (before arrival in France) has been revealed*.

The protocol does not change; the lighting of the flame will take place on April 16 at 10:30 a.m. CEST in Olympia. The torch "handover" ceremony will take place on April 26 at 5:30 p.m. CEST at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, then it will spend the night at the French embassy before leaving the next day for Marseille aboard the Belem.

The costumes for the flame lighting ceremony have changed a little**. The first bearer of the torch will normally be Stefanos Douskos, a name that was made official last November.

As a reminder, the torch will arrive on May 8 in Marseille before starting the relay on French soil. Around 150,000 people are expected to welcome the torch. The planned schedule for the day, found on the Marseille tourist office website***:

Some non-contractual images from the day of May 8 which were revealed a few months ago by the organizing committee:

----------------

* https://olympics.com/ioc/news/paris-2024-olympic-flame-lighting-and-handover-ceremonies-information-for-the-media

** https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1233964/new-costumes-in-revamped-torch-lighting-ceremony-for-paris-2024/

*** https://www.marseille-tourisme.com/vivez-marseille-blog/agenda/marseille-en-fete-pour-larrivee-de-la-flamme-olympique-marseille-2eme-fr-4673279/

Preparations for the arrival of the flame on May 8 are underway; we learn from the newspaper l'Equipe* that Paris 2024 has launched a registration platform for boats (pleasure, fishing, etc.) who wish to accompany the Belem for its arrival in the Vieux-Port. They are expecting around 1000 boats to accompany the Belem.

(which gives us two boat parades for these Olympics, new olympic record)

 

*https://www.lequipe.fr/Tous-sports/Actualites/Paris-2024-veut-du-monde-pour-entourer-le-belem-et-la-flamme-olympique-a-marseille/1456822

[Bear]

i dont know if anyone's noticed but the Games-time website is now up:

https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024 (different from the OCOG website which is still https://www.paris2024.org/en/)

the Olympics mobile app is now in Paris 2024 mode as well which is pretty cool

[sebastien1214]

The assembly of temporary infrastructure is progressing well. As for example with the Eiffel Tower Stadium:

[yoshi]

What a view that is - and that's without the greatest landmark there! Yet again beach volleyball is going to be THE iconic venue of the Games. Also, it's now April, has anyone noticed opening ceremony rehearsals cropping up on one of the rivers of France? Didn't you say they'd start somewhere in March, and it's not like they can hide them away...

[sebastien1214]

11 minutes ago, yoshi said:

What a view that is - and that's without the greatest landmark there! Yet again beach volleyball is going to be THE iconic venue of the Games. 

On the question of which site will be the most beautiful, I think it fights with the horse riding events at the Château de Versailles.  But certainly, we couldn't dream of a better setting for beach volleyball.

[TorchbearerSydney]

Q:  we couldn't dream of a better setting for beach volleyball

Maybe an actual beach...Sydney's Bondi Beach was amazing!

[Sir Rols]

3 hours ago, TorchbearerSydney said:

Maybe an actual beach...Sydney's Bondi Beach was amazing!

Yeah, it was certainly pretty special and fitting. So was Copacabana and so will be Santa Monica. But Horse Guards Parade at London was also pretty spectacular, and the base of the Eiffel Tower this year would be hard for anyone to beat.

I wouldn’t say that either type of location (beach or landmark) is “better” than the other. Just that beach volleyball is blessed in requiring never more than a temporary stadium that lends itself to being located in picturesque locations. And it’s used this to its advantage to become IMO (in Australia at least) one of the higher visibility, higher rating and higher demand sports at the games, offering TV broadcasters a great mix of high athleticism, bronzed bodies in skimpy gear and picturesque backdrops. It’s also one of the most fun to attend in person - the organisers tend to really amp up the “party” vibe and music to give it a great atmosphere.  

Edited April 2, 2024 by Sir Rols

[StefanMUC]

7 hours ago, sebastien1214 said:

The assembly of temporary infrastructure is progressing well. As for example with the Eiffel Tower Stadium:

Looking forward to spending an evening there!

[sebastien1214]

16 hours ago, TorchbearerSydney said:

Q:  we couldn't dream of a better setting for beach volleyball

Maybe an actual beach...Sydney's Bondi Beach was amazing!

Obviously, this was implied in my message for Paris, and more generally for a city that is not by the sea. Not everyone can organize beach volleyball on a beach with the sea. (and it wouldn't really make sense to relocate just to have a view of the sea when all you need is sand to play beach volleyball).

[baron-pierreIV]

2 hours ago, sebastien1214 said:

Obviously, this was implied in my message for Paris, and more generally for a city that is not by the sea. Not everyone can organize beach volleyball on a beach with the sea. (and it wouldn't really make sense to relocate just to have a view of the sea when all you need is sand to play beach volleyball).

Actually, in Madrid 2016's bid, they were going to drain that big lagoon in Madrid's Retiro Park and put the BV there.  Hell, they might present that again for a 2036 bid.