The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games were an outstanding success. The organization of the events, praised by the International Olympic Committee, and the Opening Ceremony on the Seine were impressive. With 12 million tickets sold and a global television audience estimated at 4 billion, this event has become a benchmark in the annals of the Olympic Games.
As well as sporting achievements and grandiose spectacles, the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been a tremendous catalyst for regeneration and innovation in Paris, leaving many legacies.
The most remarkable legacy for Paris is certainly the cleaning up of the Seine. As a result of action taken over the last 8 years, this famous river is now suitable for swimming and, by 2025, the public will be able to enjoy 23 swimming spots, including 3 in Paris: the Marie branch of the river (Parc des Rives de Seine, right bank), the Grenelle branch of the river, Port de Grenelle and the banks of the Île aux Cygnes, and at Bercy, level with the Simone de Beauvoir footbridge. The clean-up has also improved biodiversity in the Seine and Marne rivers. There are now 34 species of fish, compared with 2 forty years ago.
The hosting of the Paris 2024 Games represented a major transport challenge, but also a unique opportunity to develop and encourage the use of environmentally friendly means of transport. The capital has invested massively in its public transport network, in particular by extending line 14 to Orly airport in the south, and to Saint-Denis Pleyel in the north, but also by modernizing the RER A and B, and by making the entire bus network accessible, ensuring comfort and safety for all passengers. When completed, the Grand Paris Express will serve the whole of the Paris region, offering new prospects for development and facilitating links between the various regions.
The Games have also been an opportunity to make Paris a 100% cycle-friendly city, with the creation of more than 60 km of new cycle paths, in addition to the 1,000 already in existence.
Paris is therefore an ideal ‘playground’ for team building events by bike! Our partners have plenty of original ideas for giving your staff a different way of discovering Paris.
The Olympic Village, situated in Seine-Saint-Denis, has resulted in the development of two exemplary eco-districts, providing 4,000 accommodations, including student residencies and a sports ground, all as part of an environmentally friendly approach. Also in the département, several local facilities used as training centres for the Games, including swimming pools, sports centres and gymnasiums, have been renovated.
Three new venues have also been built to form a lasting part of the Greater Paris urban landscape: the climbing centre at Le Bourget, the Aquatic Centre at Saint-Denis and the Adidas Arena at Porte de la Chapelle. The latter, an eco-designed venue, is designed to host both sporting and cultural events. It already has Paris Basket as its resident club and is bringing new life to an entire neighbourhood.
In terms of inclusive infrastructures, 3,000 sports clubs have been given training to open sections welcoming people with disabilities throughout the country, giving people with disabilities greater access to sporting activities.
Dive into the Olympic legacy by planning your professional events around sport and the Olympic Games. Discover our selection of service providers to plan an event in the steps of Paris 2024, , and our article on sport-themed team-building activities.