100 days before the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Stade de France, which will host athletics, para-athletics, rugby sevens as well as the two opening ceremonies, continues its renovation. After replacing the seats and installing the new giant screens, it’s time for the track to be laid. Blue in Rio in 2016, ocher in Tokyo three years ago, it will be purple in Paris next summer.
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A new time, Paris 2024 will innovate. If the Stade de France will not host the opening ceremonyplanned on the Seine, it will be the scene of a great first: the athletics track will be purple in color.
“ It is a unique creation, with a color that has never existed, proudly announces Alain Blondel, the manager of the Paris 2024 athletics events. We wanted a different path from what had been done and to stay in the creative approach that the Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Cojop) has had since its creation. This is why we started with the reference colors that you will see on all competition sites: a purple track with different tones. A little lighter for the track, a little darker for the service areas which are not competition areas and a relaunch at the ends of the turns with gray, to recall the cinder tracks, including the one which was present in 1924, 100 years ago when the Olympic Games were last held here in Paris. » A way to keep in mind forever the exploits that will take place there, like the Jamaican’s 100 and 200 meter world records Usain Bolt during the 2009 world championships, which will forever be associated with the blue track in Berlin (Germany).
End of work in May
Will purple allow athletes to break their record? The former French decathlete, European champion in 1994, does not want to come forward: “ JI will tell you more on the evening of August 10 (after the last test) depending on the results. It will depend on a lot of criteria. What we know is that the base of the track is the same as in Tokyo and the results spoke for themselves (three world records and eight Olympic records). »
The track is not yet finished, but the work is progressing according to the established schedule: “ We started laying the tartan (the sports surface) three weeks ago and it should last a month. It’s almost 13 000 m² which are installed, more than 1 000 rolls and 1 800 pots of glue. Then, we will move on to tracing which will last several weeks », explains Maria Le Corre, the deputy director of projects and works at the Stade de France. The end of work on the Stade de France, closed since the day after South Africa’s victory against New Zealand in rugby world cup final, is scheduled for the end of May. And the keys are handed over to Paris 2024, on June 1st.
The athletes are already won over: “ The few, to whom I had the opportunity to show some photos, were delighted to see this color, confides Alain Blondel. For some, it brought to mind tracks with tones close to those of American universities. » A bit from Los Angeles 2028 to Paris 2024.
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