In Versailles
To discover
Paris 2024: the map of Olympic sites
It's hard to find a more beautiful setting. The Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events, as well as the pentathlon, are taking place this summer in the grounds of the Château de Versailles, in the Paris suburbs. A majestic enclosure, steeped in history, to welcome the horse world on the occasion of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. On the occasion of the re-watering of the famous Apollo basin, after 18 months of restoration, the Committee of The organization of the Olympic Games (Cojo) took stock this Friday of the progress of the work, 119 days before the start of the events.
“We are almost there, 70% of the work has been done
,” they say.
By choosing to organize the equestrian disciplines at the Château de Versailles (rather than at Lamotte-Beuvron, where the French Federation has its headquarters and facilities), the organizers were starting from a blank sheet. Everything had to be brought in, water, electricity, reception facilities... It was the company GL Events, via its subsidiary specializing in the organization of horse racing events, which won the call for tenders in October 2022. launched by Paris 2024. With its experience in this field, having participated in each Olympic Games since the 1992 edition in Barcelona.
A stadium as big as Bercy
An equestrian stadium - U-shaped with a view of the castle in the distance - was specially set up for the occasion. It will be able to accommodate 16,300 spectators, the capacity of the Accor Arena in Bercy. This impressive ephemeral stadium (which will be dismantled after the Olympics) is located near the royal star of the park, not far from the grand canal, completely to the west of the UNESCO world heritage site. If the stands (which rise to 20 m) are already built, the quarry surface must still be done. Sand that was recently used to make the Saut Hermès quarry at the Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris will be reused at Versailles.
Two of the three stands of the removable equestrian stadium. EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP
One of the attractions of these games will undoubtedly be the spectacular cross-country (the second of three eventing events), which will take place on July 28 in the castle park and which should bring together 40,000 people. Several structures in the park have been restored and redeveloped to be transformed into obstacles for this event. There will be three fords (with passage through water) on this 5.3 km course comprising 28 obstacles. It was necessary to do a lot of work to standardize the soil, since the route passes from clearings to undergrowth.
“70% of the course will take place under the trees, so temperatures will be 10 degrees lower than in full sun,”
explains Jean Morel, the sports manager of this Olympic site.
Pontoons to cross the grand canal
Just as spectacular should be the crossing of the grand canal by the riders and their mounts. What Jean Morel explains:
“We are going to set up two pontoons above the water, a first of 82 m and another of 65 m, to cross the canal twice during the course. It will be a highlight of the cross-country event.”
Besides this, it was also necessary to deploy all the reception structures for the horses. Five removable tents of twenty boxes (air-conditioned at 21 degrees) will be set up to accommodate the 200 horses who will participate in the various events.
Once the games are over, everything will be dismantled and the park of the Palace of Versailles will be rendered almost identical, and even better since certain sites will have been renovated. This is part of
the “legacy”
that the Organizing Committee wants to leave. Note that the Château de Versailles, the second most visited tourist site in France (8 million people last year) behind the Louvre Museum (8.9), will remain accessible to visitors throughout the duration of the Olympic Games.
An amphitheater redeveloped to welcome the public in front of the menagerie ford. EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP