The images will remain etched in our memories. The Place de la Concorde electrified by breakdancing, the glass roof of the Grand Palais filled with cheers from fencing fans, the Versailles estate awakened by the equestrian events, the Esplanade des Invalides transformed into a shooting range… Cheered on by competitors who had never known such a sporting setting, the Parisian monuments are the other big winners of the Olympic Games (OG), which continue until Sunday, September 8 with the Paralympics.
Read the story: Article reserved for our subscribers How Paris 2024 transformed the capital’s iconic locations into Olympic venues
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For a long time now, the fashion world has taken advantage of historic locations to magnify its shows. In just a few weeks, heritage has revealed itself as a choice ally in the narrative of the feat. “The Grand Palace, for sure, is not the fencing hall of Plovdiv [ville bulgare] »joked, Saturday July 27, the French fencers interviewed by Release. The swordsman Boladé Apithy was captivated: “It’s crazy, I’m going to ask the federation to organize a competition here every year.”
” Why not ? “laughs the president of the Grand Palais, Didier Fusillier. But rather every two years, the nave’s dance card being already overloaded. After all, the full-scale test with the 300,000 spectators who took turns there for fifteen days proved conclusive, including in terms of acoustics. Setting up stands is feasible. Developing the surroundings of the site is a completely different matter, the main pitfall for sports organizations being the cost of the Grand Palais. Between the assembly, dismantling and ten days of competition, the bill climbs to 1 million euros for a month’s rental.
Read the report: Article reserved for our subscribers Parisian museums and the Palace of Versailles show a drop in summer attendance
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At the Palace of Versailles, scenarios for hosting other sporting events are also being studied. The subject was even discussed at a meeting organized on Tuesday, September 3, with the equestrian federations. “If we find solutions that respect the site and are economically viable, that would be wonderful, because it is totally in the DNA of the castle, which was a hunting lodge.”enthuses its president, Christophe Leribault.
“Making the Grand Palais a tool of diplomacy”
Parisian museums and monuments now want to convert the unexpected visibility offered by the Olympic Games into money, or even gold. Despite a 25% to 50% drop in attendance this summer, all are hopeful of attracting a new audience, securing more privatizations. And of pulling in the sleeves of the wealthy patrons who have been scarce recently. “I can’t say I’ve come across a big Australian billionaire who suddenly fell in love with Versailles.”concedes Christophe Leribault, who is banking on the long term.
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