This August 30, Craig Spence still can’t believe it. The day before, the spokesperson for the International Paralympic Committee confided that he had lived at the Grand Palais “the most emotional sporting moment of [sa] vie » in front of the exploits of the Afghan Zakia Khudadadi, bronze medalist in para taekwondo under the colors of the refugee team. According to her, the prestige of the place is not for nothing. “The Grand Palais site is truly remarkable”the Briton marveled in front of the press.
Craig Spence is not the only one who thinks so. The palace with its 1900 Beaux-Arts architecture is sold out for the para taekwondo and wheelchair fencing tournaments that will take place there one after the other. During the Olympic fortnight, the majestic nave with its usually hushed atmosphere was already bubbling with supporters shouting their pleasure at supporting the French athletes.
Invalides, Eiffel Tower, Palace of Versailles… Like the Grand Palais, all the emblematic locations of these Paris Games are sold out for the Paralympic Games. “The magic of the place has worked”the organizers want to believe.
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It’s hard to prove them wrong, as the images of fencers descending the Grand Staircase, a jewel of Art Nouveau with its iron scrolls, have travelled around the world and left their mark on people’s retinas. Just like archery in front of the golden dome of Les Invalides, beach volleyball and blind football at the foot of the Eiffel Tower at sunset, or cyclists racing up the crowded Rue Lepic, resembling a painting by Claude Monet, the competitions have enhanced Parisian heritage.
Two structuring axes
This idea of transforming the capital’s monuments into Olympic and Paralympic sites was born during the application process. “The Games at the service of Seine-Saint-Denis and Paris at the service of the Games”the organizers boasted ten years ago. Paris 2024 then identifies two structuring axes: the line going from the Arch of La Défense to the obelisk of the Concorde, and the Seine, with large adjoining parks (Champ-de-Mars, Invalides, etc.) which can accommodate events. “We knew we were going to have these iconic sites, very quickly we said to ourselves: “What can we put there?” And then, “How can we enhance the place through sport?”recalls Etienne Thobois, general director of the Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Cojop), at the heart of the project since its beginnings.
The equation is not simple. Especially since the Olympic disciplines always work in pairs for reasons of calendar and site configuration: fencing with taekwondo, judo with wrestling, badminton with rhythmic and sports gymnastics, for example.
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