Paris 2024

[hektor]

[CARTE INTERACTIVE] JO 2024 : les sites sportifs envisagés pour la candidature de Paris

This article features a Google map with the olympic sites overlaid on it.

Edited October 15, 2015 by hektor

[JMarkSnow2012]

[CARTE INTERACTIVE] JO 2024 : les sites sportifs envisagés pour la candidature de Paris

This article features a Google map with the olympic sites overlaid on it.

That gives an excellent overview of the way the Games would permeate the entire city. Good in some ways, but challenging for transport.

[DamC]

This map shows the most obvious venue choices but still a large part are missing (most indoor arenas, the shooting centre, the hockey stadium are the first I have in mind).

[hektor]

Versailles has finally been chosen for the equestrian events.

http://www.ouest-france.fr/paris-2024-les-sports-equestres-dans-le-parc-du-chateau-de-versailles-3797938

[neige]

Is it really a good idea?

It will make one more site quite far from the Olympic Village.

Moreover, the Versailles field is flat which is not good for the cross country race.

[LatinXTC]

Is it really a good idea?

It will make one more site quite far from the Olympic Village.

Moreover, the Versailles field is flat which is not good for the cross country race.

It's equestrian. I think it's ok, it's one of those sports only a very select few will give a damn about. Like sailing.

[FYI]

It's not that much further than any other equestrian sites from previous host cities. And considering in 2008 equestrian was held all the way in Hong Kong (a thousand miles from Beijing), this will be a hop, skip & a jump in comparison.

Pun intended.

[StefanMUC]

The IOC loves iconic venues. So this obviously is a good idea.

[stryker]

Versailles would certainly provide an iconic view. Will they have the move the cycling events though that were originally set for the palace gardens? Wasn't the original equestrian venue going to be the racetrack at Longchamps? I wouldn't be too concerned about the distance. If the IOC is truly serious about the whole Agenda 2020 thing, then accepting venues at a slightly farther distance is going to be the norm.

[Sir Rols]

When you've got an iconic venue - a Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, Ancient Olympia, Great Wall, Horse Guards Parade etc - their sheer photogenic-ness is worth far more to the games and the IOC than any notion of "compactness". On the scales, compactness means d!ck against iconic TV images.

As I've said many, many times before, the whole talk about "compact" games footprints is a nice marketing slogan for a bid, but really means stuff all. It's not a trump card or huge vote winner. Never has been. It's just highly oversold and over-estimated in bid campaigning and discussions.

The crime would be Versailles NOT being proposed or used.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Sir Rols

[baron-pierreIV]

Is it really a good idea?

It will make one more site quite far from the Olympic Village.

Moreover, the Versailles field is flat which is not good for the cross country race.

Aside from scenic and space reasons, I think it is mainly logistical. With additional paddocks, the Versailles compound can easily accommodate 120 horses. Plus the Versailles bldgs will provide the accommodations for the 80 grooms and other event staff. That's why the location seems perfect.

[DamC]

Versailles would certainly provide an iconic view. Will they have the move the cycling events though that were originally set for the palace gardens? Wasn't the original equestrian venue going to be the racetrack at Longchamps? I wouldn't be too concerned about the distance. If the IOC is truly serious about the whole Agenda 2020 thing, then accepting venues at a slightly farther distance is going to be the norm.

I think the cycling events were considered to take place on the plaza in front of the castle. It's quite far from where they want to set up he Equestrian venue (at the back of the gardens).

Each venue will even be reached by a different train station, on a different branch of the RER C line

[zekekelso]

It's equestrian. I think it's ok, it's one of those sports only a very select few will give a damn about. Like sailing.

The very select few includes a lot of 0.01% eras, i.e. the world of the IOC voters.

[DamC]

More info regarding the venue plan (not official yet but reported in the press):

- Le Bourget, in the North of Paris, halfway between the city and CDG airport, will get the Media Centre and the Media Village. The Le Bourget exhibition centre is also the venue of the United Nations Climate Change Conference next month. It is located next to the most important airport in Europe for private jets.

- The Aquatics Centre will be located between Saint-Denis and Aubervilliers. Not really a surprise here: it is the same location as in the Paris 2012 bid book. The only difference is that this time a second pool, for Water Polo, will be planned in La Courneuve (between Saint-Denis and Le Bourget).

A press conference with the presentation of the main elements of the bid will take place on Thursday.

[neige]

There's a huge parc (parc Georges Valbon located in La Courneuve) between the olympic stadium (stade de France) and the media center (Le Bourget exhibit center).

Aren't they going to use it?

I thought it could have been used for equestrian sports (this parc includes an existing big equestrian center, car parks, a future train station, hills for a good cross country venue....).

Why going to Versailles when you have this just beside the main Olympic cluster?

[DamC]

Because it's not as photogenic

[neige]

Again, Paris looks too much to its glorious past!

(if the symbol of the absolute monarchy can be considered as a glorious past)

[DamC]

Not more than London when they staged Beach Volleyball at Horse Guards' Parade, Beijing when they had cycling at the Great Wall or Athens when they had Archery at the Panathenaic Stadium...

We don't know much about the Paris plan yet, maybe a lot of venues are already planned to be built near La Courneuve. Having too many venues in the same area can create logistical problems too.

[neige]

All right.

let's see what will be the Paris plan. I think we now need a strong cluster around the Olympic Stadium, symbol of Paris renewal.

[baron-pierreIV]

All right.

let's see what will be the Paris plan. I think we now need a strong cluster around the Olympic Stadium, symbol of Paris renewal.

But it's NOT an Olympic Stadium. It's the Stade de France built 2 decades ago and isn't really that iconic in terms of stadium architecture. It will just be a reused stadium...and there's not much free space around it. Which is why they are planning other venues farther away from it. They have experts and IOC-approved consultants planning these. It's not like they're throwing darts at a wall here, neige.

[neige]

It's not only the stadium, but the whole cluster that must be good and symbolize the city renewal.

[woohooitsme83]

It's not only the stadium, but the whole cluster that must be good and symbolize the city renewal.

I don't think Paris' plans are to "renew" the city via the Olympics. If it were then that would be somewhat relevant, but if Paris is pulling the 'diversity, future, and unity' card (which is what we've been seeing so far), then I don't see how creating an entire cluster toconvert precious green space or private property into sports venues would have anything to do with it. Paris doesn't really need to be 'renewed'.

[Dakooo]

I don't think Paris' plans are to "renew" the city via the Olympics. If it were then that would be somewhat relevant, but if Paris is pulling the 'diversity, future, and unity' card (which is what we've been seeing so far), then I don't see how creating an entire cluster toconvert precious green space or private property into sports venues would have anything to do with it. Paris doesn't really need to be 'renewed'.

Hearing from other reports and NOT my own experience, apparently their are many parts of the city that need renewal.

[mr.bernham]

Hearing from other reports and NOT my own experience, apparently their are many parts of the city that need renewal.

Yeah, in the cities outskirts and Sarkozy's 'Gran Paris' plan is already addressing that.

Paris is bidding for the games to host the games, and to showcase the city. It does not need them to kickstart renewal (the Grand Paris plan already adresses that). Though I worry their plan may not have enough urban renewal compared to the other cities, and thus no real physical legacy of the games (like what happened with 2012).

[woohooitsme83]

Hearing from other reports and NOT my own experience, apparently their are many parts of the city that need renewal.

but that doesn't necessarily that the Olympics will revitalize the areas. Plus (like Bernham said) those areas are probably far away from the action, so bending logistics just for that probably isn't the best idea.