On Tuesday, the Paris 2024 Board of Directors validated several changes to the map of Olympic and Paralympic venues, subject to validation by the International Olympic Committee and the International Federations concerned.
The Paris 2024 Board of Directors met on Tuesday, and the subject of the map of Olympic and Paralympic sites was notably on the agenda. Several changes have been validated, subject to validation by the International Olympic Committee and the International Federations. This concerns in particular the shooting and para shooting events. They will not be held at La Courneuve (which will host the start of the Para marathon, and the start of the cycling event open to the general public) but in Châteauroux, “which offers the best conditions for organizing competitions”. “Building on the positive exchanges with the National Shooting Federation, and the enthusiasm of local elected officials, Paris 2024 is continuing discussions with the players concerned in order to validate the technical and financial terms relating to the reception of this new host community” , says the Paris 2024 press release.
Basketball in Lille, handball in Paris?
Regarding the preliminary phase of the basketball event, it should finally be held at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Lille, while that of handball would be held in Hall 6 of the Parc des Expositions at Porte Versailles. “The IOC will decide on the final validation of these sites, in particular, when all the technical studies will validate the compliance of the Pierre Mauroy stadium with the specifications established by FIBA”, specifies Paris 2024. The final phases will take place, as planned, at the Arena Bercy. In addition, the city of Villepinte, in Seine-St-Denis, has been chosen to host the preliminary phase of the boxing events, the modern Pentathlon fencing classification event as well as the sitting volleyball competitions of the Games Paralympics, subject to validation by the International Federations concerned. The final phases of the boxing events will be organized at Roland-Garros on the Philippe-Chatrier court, after the Tennis competitions.
The opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games on Place de la Concorde?
Finally, the Board of Directors came out in favor of organizing the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games on Place de la Concorde. “Discussions will be held in the coming weeks with the International Paralympic Committee to agree on the issues of spectator gauge, accessibility, athlete experience, and budget, in order to define the most appropriate scenario for this opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games “, concludes the Paris 2024 press release.
