Olympic Village opened for Paris Games 2024

Paris: World-class athletes have started to arrive at their "home away from home" for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, as the Olympic Village has formally opened in the French capital.

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), greeted a few of the early arrivals. The bulk of the competitors, 10,500 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, will reside in the main 54-hectare Olympic Village, which is situated north of the host city on the banks of the Seine River.

Additional athlete villages in Châteauroux, Lille, Marseille and Tahiti will also host those competing in shooting, basketball (preliminary round), handball, sailing and surfing, the organisers said.

Bach was at the opening of the Olympic Village, along with Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet and IOC Coordination Commission chair Pierre-Oliver Beckers Viieujant.

The IOC president welcomed some of the athletes as they were entering the Village and attended the NOC Chefs de Mission meeting.

“Finally, we are here,” he said, as he praised the facilities that will be available to athletes during the Games. “It has been a long journey these seven years, but it has been a hugely rewarding one thanks to our friends at the Organising Committee under the leadership of Tony Estanguet and his team, who have worked closely with our IOC Coordination Commission under the leadership of Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant. We have a wonderful Olympic Village, and all the ingredients for a great Olympic Games are here.”

The Olympic Village will serve as a home for athletes during the Games, featuring a 3,200-seat dining hall, a 24-hour gym, a 3,500-square-meter polyclinic, and a small supermarket.

To ensure the facilities meet athletes' needs, the Paris 2024 Athletes' Commission invited representatives from five continents to provide feedback during the planning and construction phases, aiming to create an environment where athletes can focus on their competitions.

Athletes can relax and communicate with each other at the Village Club while watching Olympic broadcasts. The "Athlete 365 Space" offers information on IOC support programs, enhancing awareness of issues such as anti-doping and match-fixing. Elections for the Athlete Commission members will also be held here.

After the Games, the Village will become part of the surrounding region 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 jobs for 6,000 people.

The new neighbourhood will feature 2,500 new homes, a hotel, student residences, approximately seven hectares of gardens and parks, 120,000 square meters of offices and city services, and 3,200 square meters of neighbourhood shops.

The Village has also been designed to adapt to climatic conditions, with plants and water in public areas aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change in the future.

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games will take place from July 26 to August 11. The Paralympic Games will then run from August 28 until September 8.

With inputs from IANS