After the rugby Blues, those of basketball.
Last September, before their match against Uruguay in their second World Cup match, Fabien Galthié's men stayed at the Mercure hotel located in Marcq-en-Barœul, in the nearby suburbs of Lille.
Next summer, the opulent establishment will this time be the base camp of the French basketball team.
It is in this 4-star hotel that Victor Wembanyama and his partners will launch their campaign for the Paris Olympic Games which will begin with a group stage at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d'Ascq before, in the event of qualification, to head to the Accor Arena in Paris for the final stages.
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After visiting numerous establishments in the Lille area, the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) opted for the Mercure in Marcq-en-Barœul.
It has the advantage of being located only about fifteen minutes from the stadium where the matches will be played.
It also has a fitness center renovated in 2022.
The establishment, which regularly hosts sports teams, has also recently undergone a complete renovation.
The hotel should guarantee a certain tranquility to the partners of Nicolas Batum, silver medalists at the Tokyo Games, even if it should not be entirely privatized.
It is indeed offering special offers for the Games period on its website.
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Unlike their female counterparts - and other French delegations - the basketball players have in fact chosen not to settle in the Olympic villages made available to them during the tournament.
A decision which will generate an additional cost but which will allow them to accommodate an extended staff and not be limited to the accreditations necessary for the Olympic village.
They should take up their quarters around July 24 after a series of preparation matches across France.
In the event of qualification for the final stages, the Blues will benefit from the facilities of Insep, the school of French sports champions located in the Bois de Vincennes.
The Dream Team will stay at L’Hermitage Gantois
“We all thought about the best solution to be as efficient as possible,” explained the General Manager of the Blues Boris Diaw last October.
We have a staff with many people, important members, staying in the village would have prevented us from working with these people, they would not have been able to be accredited to enter the village.
We would not have been able to work with freedom, in the village we do not decide on training times or their duration.
It's more comfortable to work for performance.
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The Blues, who will be aiming for gold at the Games, will not be the only team not to settle in the Olympic villages since the American stars have also opted for a private solution.
LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Co will stay at L'Hermitage Gantois.
A prestigious establishment located in the capital of Flanders.
It should be fully privatized.
It is in this 5-star hotel - with spa and gourmet restaurant - that the French basketball players stayed during the final phase of the Euro in 2015.
While waiting to meet again from June to prepare for the Games, the Blues are currently in Brest to begin their qualifying campaign for Euro 2025. Deprived of players playing in the NBA, but with those who play in the Euroleague, they face the Croatia Friday evening.