Paris, July 19 (Tezzbuzz). The Paris Olympic Village officially opened its doors on Thursday, welcoming athletes from around the world who are set to begin their Olympic journey. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach visited the village on the opening day.
Around 10,500 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees and the Refugee Olympic Team will participate in the upcoming Olympic Games, which begin on July 26. Most of the athletes will be housed in the Paris Olympic Village, a 54-hectare site located along the River Seine.
Additionally, athletes will stay in satellite villages in Chateauroux (shooting), Lille (basketball preliminaries and handball), Marseille (sailing) and Tahiti (surfing).
Accompanied by Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Organising Committee, and Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, President of the Paris 2024 Coordination Commission, Bach welcomed the athletes as they arrived at the Village.
He praised the facilities available for the athletes during the Games, saying, “Finally, we are here. It has been a long journey over these seven years, but it has been extremely rewarding thanks to our friends at the Organising Committee, led by Tony Estanguet and his team, who have worked closely with our IOC Coordination Commission, led by Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Wiegent. We have a fantastic Olympic Village, and all the ingredients are here for a fantastic Olympic Games.”
The Olympic Village will serve as home to the athletes during the Games, housing a 3,200-seat dining hall, a 24-hour gym, a 3,500-square-metre polyclinic and a small supermarket.
To ensure the facilities meet the needs of athletes, the Paris 2024 Athletes' Commission invited representatives from five continents to provide feedback during the planning and construction phases, with the aim of creating an environment where athletes can focus on their competitions.
Athletes can relax in the Village Club and communicate with each other while watching Olympic broadcasts. The Athlete 365 space provides information about IOC support programmes, raising awareness on issues such as anti-doping and match-fixing. Elections for members of the Athletes' Commission will also take place here.
Following the Games, the Village will become part of the surrounding area of Seine-Saint-Denis, with the site's housing, shops, public facilities, workplaces and green spaces set to meet the long-term living needs of 6,000 residents and provide employment for 6,000 people.
The new neighbourhood will have 2,500 new homes, a hotel, student residences, approximately seven hectares of gardens and parks, 120,000 square metres of offices and city services and 3,200 square metres of neighbourhood shops.
The village is also designed to adapt to climate conditions, with plants and water planted in public areas with the aim of mitigating the effects of future climate change.
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games will take place from July 26 to August 11. The Paralympic Games will then run from August 28 to September 8.
Tezzbuzz News / Sunil Dubey
