Paris Transforms With Temporary Venues For Olympics

Any city that hosts the Olympic Games needs to have plenty of sports venues to be able to hold every competition, which is why they typically use lots of temporary shelters so that each sport has a venue that is properly equipped and large enough for spectators. 

This year’s Paris Olympics 2024 is no different, and it is making use of temporary sites for 32 different sports. A huge number of the 329 medal events will take place in pop-up venues, as the city would not have enough stadiums otherwise.

Although the new Aquatics Centre was purposely built for the artistic swimming, diving and water polo events, this was the only permanent venue that had to be built for this year’s Olympic Games, which marks Paris’ 100th anniversary since it last hosted the event.

For instance, the 10,000 sq m Champ de Mars Arena is a temporary building that will be used for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Judo and wrestling contests will take place at this site, which is 11km from the Olympic Village.

A temporary outdoor arena has also been set up next to the Eiffel Tower. This is a great site for both Parisians and tourists, as it is a good place to meet and enjoy the summer sunshine, as well as soak up the atmosphere of the Olympic Games. 

The Eiffel Tower Stadium will host the beach volleyball and blind football events, while its location next to some of the city’s most famous attractions makes it an ideal site for tourists to visit. 

La Concorde will also be transformed into an open arena for a number of sporting events, with temporary structures set up on the site. 

Since the start of the Olympics on July 26th, the urban park has looked completely different, with spectator platforms and stages filling the popular space.

Over the course of two weeks, it will host 3X3 basketball, BMX freestyle, breaking and skateboarding events virtually non-stop until August 10th. 

Reviving one of the most famous public - and largest - squares in Paris is part of the plan to allow urban sports to be shown in their natural environment, instead of in stadiums. This has allowed these modern sports to be included into the programme, and to be enjoyed where they typically take place - out in the public. 

The Chateauroux Shooting Centre has also been built for the Paris 2024 Games, with this building being used for 15 Olympic and 13 Paralympic shooting events.

All in all, 340 Olympic and 160 Paralympic athletes will take part in competitions here, which is why a building that could fit in numerous shooting ranges. 

This venue is situated outside of the city in Chateauroux, however, and a train, which takes two hours and 15 minutes, will travel from Paris every morning from 0518. 

There will also be a temporary outdoor arena at the iconic Château de Versailles, which will host dressage and jumping, as well as modern pentathlons. 

Of course, Paris also has several iconic permanent venues that are being used for some of the events, including the Grand Palais, Hotel de Ville, Marseille Stadium and Nice Stadium.