Paris, the city known as "the city of light," is hosting the Olympics for the third time in history. The 2024 Paris Summer Games is an opportunity to shine a light on athletic prowess and reinforce France's connection to the Olympic movement.
Why is Paris hosting the 2024 Olympics?
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose Paris over initial candidate cities Boston, Budapest, Hamburg, Rome and Los Angeles. The Paris bid emphasized using existing facilities to minimize costs and environmental impact, which aligned with the IOC agenda aimed at promoting sustainability and efficiency. Paris sought to project an image of sports within urban landscapes. Paris was chosen after Boston, Budapest, Hungary; Hamburg, Germany; and Rome had withdrawn their respective bids under mounting public pressures. In 2017, the Los Angeles bid committee reached a deal with the IOC to host the 2028 Summer Games .
France has now hosted three Summer Games -- 1900, 1924 and 2024, all in Paris -- and three Winter Games -- 1924 in Chamonix, 1968 in Grenoble and 1992 in Albertville.
What is France's historic connection to the Olympics?
Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator and historian, is credited with reviving the Olympics in the modern era. He presented the idea in 1894, originally wanting to open the Games in 1900 in his native Paris, but delegates from 34 countries loved the concept so much that they convinced him to move the Games up to 1896 and host them in Athens first.
He proposed the traditional Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius (faster, higher, stronger). And the IOC awards the Coubertin medal to athletes who show great sportsmanship.
What is France's national sport?
Football -- soccer -- is the most popular and widely practiced sport. As of 2022, the French Football Federation reported more than two million registered players. France has claimed victories in the FIFA World Cup in 1998 and 2018. Passion for the sport permeates French society and is an integral part of French culture and conversation in daily life.
What stadiums are in Paris?
Among the most notable iconic venues for sports and culture in Paris:
Stade de France : Located in the suburb of Saint-Denis, it's the largest stadium in France and has hosted numerous events, including the FIFA World Cup and Rugby World Cup.
Parc des Princes : Situated in the 16th arrondissement, this stadium is home to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and is renowned for its history and atmosphere.
Accor Arena : A versatile indoor arena in Bercy, it hosts basketball games, concerts, and other major events.
Why is the PSG Stadium called the Parc des Princes?
The stadium gets its name from the historical significance of the location. The area was a popular hunting ground and leisure spot for French royalty in the 18th Century. The royals cherished the forested area known as the "tail of the Bois de Boulogne" for its serene environment.
Will athletes swim in the Seine for the Olympics?
A remarkable aspect of the 2024 Paris Olympics is the plan for athletes to swim in the historic river Seine. Once a place of leisure for Parisians, swimming in the river had been banned for more than a century because of river traffic and pollution.
Like many old cities, Paris has a combined sewer system -- the city's wastewater and stormwater flow through the same pipes. With heavy rains, wastewater flows into the river instead of a treatment plan. Measures were taken to attempt to make the water quality meet the health and safety standards.
Olympic organizers had pledged $1.5 billion to build a stormwater storage tank under the Seine and prepare the river for the 2024 Summer Games and Paralympic Games. Eau de Paris, the company responsible for the public water supply and wastewater collection for Paris, has tested the river water and found unsafe E. coli levels in recent weeks followed by results in early July that showed improvement. Despite the test results and concerns from athletes and citizens, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the river on July 17 in an attempt to show that the river was safe.
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