That’s it, it’s over. After more than two weeks of Olympic Games and eleven days of Paralympic Games, the Paris 2024 Games are over. While the question of the legacy of infrastructure has arisen, that of the sports facilities that accompanied the exploits of athletes from all over the world is also well advanced.
Of the 1.2 million pieces of sports equipment used during these weeks, “we have a quarter that we redistribute,” explains Mathilde Meurisse, director of sports operations, to BFMTV.com.
The remaining 75% of the equipment is rented and will therefore return to the companies that supplied it.
• Sand from the Eiffel Tower Stadium reused
If the ephemeral enclosure of the Eiffel Tower stadium, which notably saw triumph the French blind football team This Saturday, September 7, at the foot of the Iron Lady, the sand used for the beach volleyball events will be dismantled and reused to create three fields in the Marville departmental park (Seine-Saint-Denis) and one field in Taverny (Val-d’Oise).
“It’s high-quality sand,” says Romain Candelier, who works on the heritage of sports equipment.
In Taverny, this legacy will help develop the practice. “They have a lot of beach volleyball teams, but they didn’t have any infrastructure yet. This allows them to really launch the project, knowing that they have a pool to practice in,” explains Romain Candelier.
The balls, nets, posts and sports flooring will be distributed across the various performance and development centres for the practice in France.
• The battle to obtain the third Olympic pool
The Olympic pools have aroused much interest. Two of the three pools have already found a buyer: the one used for Léon Marchand’s exploits will go to Sevran and the second in BagnoletThe third is still looking for an owner.
And the contenders are jostling for position. Among them, the TOEC Dolphins club, where Léon Marchand is licensed, is looking to stand out. The Toulouse club has not said its last word after suffering an initial failure. A second request has been made. This candidacy will even receive a choice support, that of Leon Marchand himself.
The Olympic champion was to co-sign a letter, with the president of his swimming club, addressed to Emmanuel Macron, the Minister of Sports and the Organising Committee of the Games.
The city of Lille has also applied. The Olympic Games Organising Committee and the president will have to decide.
• Hockey carpets sent to Le Touquet and Lyon
The carpets used in the various hockey events at the Yves-du-Manoir stadium (Hauts-de-Seine) will also find a second life. Exiting the Île-de-France, they will be reused in Le Touquet (Pas-de-Calais), Anjou and Lyon (Rhône).
“They will be redeployed for clubs and communities that did not necessarily have the means to reinvest in new carpet and which have a practice pool,” adds Romain Candelier.
• Street skateboarding will remain in Île-de-France
We could see Aurélien Giraud, Émilie Alexandre and Vincent Milou there. The skateboard competition area of the Parc Urbain La Concorde and the warm-up area will also have a second youth. They will both be sent to Seine-Saint-Denis.
• The Saint-Denis aquatic center keeps the sports equipment
The aquatic centre’s equipment will remain on site. “They will be reused there because there will also be major competitions with the European championships,” underlines Romain Candelier.
He continues: “There is a real interest in continuing the federation’s event strategy and in developing the practice since it will be a general public site.”
• Taekwondo sports equipment in Dugny
It is a discipline which saw Althéa Laurin, Olympic taekwondo champion (+67kg), Djelika Diallo, silver medalist in para-taekwondo and Cyrian Ravet who won the bronze medal in the -58kg category shine.
Taekwondo equipment (FFTDA) will be redistributed to many clubs in the Île-de-France region, such as the Dugny club (Seine-Saint-Denis).
“You should know that taekwondo is practiced, from what the federation told us, by a public that does not necessarily have a lot of means. This equipment is particularly expensive and it will be used in priority neighborhoods in Île-de-France. There too, it will allow them to develop the practice and have the means to do so,” hopes Romain Candelier.
Until mid-October to collect them
The distribution of sports equipment began after the Olympic Games. Federations that did not have a Paralympic version, such as boxing, have already come to collect the equipment from the warehouse located in Oise.
“The objective is that by mid-October, we will be able to transfer all of our sports equipment to the allocators and federations,” concludes Romain Candelier.
As for other objects from the Paris 2024 Games, flea markets will be organized throughout France, such as in Mulhouse on September 15, in Pantin and Rouen on the 22nd and in Rennes on October 12. Collectors and fans will be able to find uniforms, cups, flags, towels used by athletes, decorative elements from the sites and even products from the ceremonies.
- RMC Sport
