After months of bitter discussions, controversies and lively tensions in the very divided Council of Paris, the project for an ephemeral stadium at the Trocadéro to follow the Tokyo Olympics will finally see the light of day in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Three years before welcoming in turn the best athletes on the planet, the capital will be on Friday Olympic time with the inauguration of a large space to follow sporting exploits in Japan for two weeks.
Entrance is free but the sanitary pass and the wearing of a mask are compulsory.
To discover
The full program of the Olympic Games
Above all, do not call it "
fans zone
", in these times of the fight against Covid-19 and the resurgence of cases, the name is not necessarily very judicious.
The mayor of Paris and Pierre Rabadan, deputy for sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games at the mayor of Paris have preferred to defend the idea of an “
entertainment platform
”.
In fact, however, it will be a space similar to the fan zones seen during Euro 2016 or the 2018 Football World Cup, a place of conviviality to follow the broadcast of the events on the big screen, but with, in more nice surprises.
Tokyo Olympic medalists will come to the village
The public, who will be able to refresh themselves with the installation of shaded plant towers, parasols, free water fountains and misting devices, will be able to attend daily Olympic sports demonstrations but also meet throughout the two weeks the French medalists return from Tokyo.
Several great figures of French sport will be present from Friday for the inauguration of the site: judokate Gévrise Emane (triple world champion and bronze medalist in 2012), Vincent Defrasne (biathlon), Laura Flessel (fencing) or Jackson Richardson ( handball).
The opposition had derailed the financial package of the site
Opposed to this initiative, environmentalists had derailed this initial financial package between the town hall and private partners at the beginning of the month. The elected Aminata Niakate had thus denounced "
the condemnation, the removal, via the cover of fountains and ponds, of this beautiful space of freshness in the middle of the summer
" while "
the existing Parisian stadiums could easily accommodate
" the public. For the LR mayor of the 16th arrondissement, Francis Szpiner, who felt he had been warned too late of the project, the space was going to “
disturb the tranquility of the neighborhood
”. An opposition which had greatly annoyed Pierre Rabadan at the beginning of July. Faced with this sling, the former Stade Français player was worried about "
catastrophic signal
”sent by Paris at three years of being the center of the world.
The program for the opening day, July 23:
12 noon: opening of the live Olympic Games
12 pm-5pm: continuous sports initiations (judo, basketball, rowing, breakdance, cycling).
2 p.m.-3.30
p.m .
: dedication by Gévrise Emane (judo)
1 p.m.-4.30 p.m .: broadcast of the opening ceremony.
3:38 p.m .: parade of French flag-bearers in Tokyo broadcast on screen.
3 p.m. - 3:30 p.m .: dedication of former flag bearers, including Alain Calmat, Vincent Defrasne, Laura Flessel, Jackson Richardson
Between 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m .: lighting of the cauldron in Tokyo.
5.30 p.m .: site closed.