Throngs of tourists flocking to the Eiffel Tower on a warm, humid afternoon cannot help but notice the 2024 Summer Olympics are close at hand.
Much of the surrounding gardens have been cordoned off with chain-link fencing, transformed into construction sites with big trucks rumbling in and out. Work crews in hard hats are finishing a temporary beach volleyball stadium and the grandstands around a plaza where athletes will receive their medals each night.
It makes sense that Paris has put the iconic landmark to use — these Games will be nothing if not a picture-postcard affair.
Equestrian events at the Château de Versailles, fencing at the Grand Palais, skateboarders at the Place de la Concorde.
“Each Games has to find a way to rise to the challenge,” says Michael Payne, a sports marketer and former longtime Olympic executive. “Paris has got that phenomenal backdrop.”
The venues themselves will be stars during the coming weeks of competition as organizers hope to showcase the Games on a made-for-television stage unlike anywhere else in the world.
Château de Versailles
Modern pentathlon has never been a fan favorite.
The event can be quirky and fun to watch as athletes transition through five seemingly unrelated sports, but it simply doesn’t draw a lot of attention. U.S. team member Jess Davis is hoping for a boost this summer.
In early August, modern pentathlon will follow equestrian at the temporary sites on the grounds of this historic palace.
Horse jumping among the topiaries. Fencing and pistol shooting surrounded by hundreds of statues. Cross-country running near the Grand Canal. Swimming, too.
Converting the 2,000-acre property, which dates back to Louis XIII, into a playing field will help lend these Games what International Olympic Committee executive Christophe Dubi has described as “a French touch, a French spirit.”
Which might rub off on Davis’ sport.
“I can’t think of a better venue,” she says. “I’m really excited for people to watch it and experience it.”
Grand Palais
A midday sun glistens across the vaulted glass roof of this century-old exhibition hall in the heart of the city.
The Grand Palais was built in the late 1890s on land situated between the Seine River and the Champs-Elysees. Designed by a team of architects, it blends elements of classicism with modernity.
In anticipation of fencing and taekwondo taking place here, the French Ministry of Culture oversaw a three-year renovation that was completed in time for the Games. For U.S. fencer Lee Kiefer, the defending gold medalist in women’s foil, the venue holds sentimental value.
When they were younger, she and her future husband, American fencer Gerek Meinhardt, competed in the 2010 world championships at the Grand Palais.
“I have really good memories there,” she says. “I’m super-curious what it’s going to look like.”
Teahupo’o
Not all of this summer’s spectacular venues will be in Paris.
Surfing will take place at this isolated Tahitian village, nestled between a bright blue ocean and jagged green mountains, some 9,700 miles to the southwest.
Though the surroundings are serenely beautiful, when big sets roll in the Teahupo’o break morphs into something that U.S. surfer Carissa Moore describes as “rather terrifying.”
The spot is revered among surfers for the immense, heavy waves that crest off a shallow reef. That means epic tube rides and very real danger.
The decision to stage an Olympic event there was not without controversy. Locals and environmentalists complained that erecting an offshore tower for judges and television cameras would damage the very coral that makes the place special.
Construction methods were adjusted and preparations eventually resumed, with 48 of the world’s top-ranked surfers scheduled to compete at some point over the next few weeks, depending on conditions. Moore says she is praying for surf, but not too much.
“It’s crazy,” she says. “I don’t know whoever thought of trying to ride that wave.”
Eiffel Tower
Kelly Cheng, a U.S. beach volleyball player, figures her sport won the lottery with that temporary stadium in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
“It’s one of the most iconic and coolest venues,” she says. “I’m really thankful.”
The landmark will also be in view, though a little farther away, for skateboarders at the Place de la Concorde. Organizers have transformed the public square into a complex that will also host BMX freestyle, breaking and 3-on-3 basketball.
Archers will get their moment in the spotlight at the Esplanade des Invalides. The Seine, despite a history of sewage-polluted waters, will host an innovative opening ceremony as well as competitions for triathlon and marathon swimming.
Etienne Thobois, chief executive for the organizing committee, was recently asked to name his biggest advantage in planning the Games. He told the Olympic news service: “The easy answer would be ‘Paris’ … because of the city.”
