(Paris) The first delegations arrived on Thursday morning at the Olympic Village, which officially opened its doors eight days before the start of the Olympic Games, marking the start of a wave of arrivals that culminated in more than 14,000 people at the height of the Games.
Among the first arrivals were delegations from Thailand, Australia and Colombia, AFP noted.
“It’s a special moment, this is where the Village will really come to life,” with the arrival of the first athletes, the deputy head of the French delegation, André-Pierre Goubert, told AFP.
“We’re super excited to see what it looks like. It looks great, we can’t wait to get in there, and can’t wait for it to start,” Australian field hockey player Stephanie Kershaw told AFP upon arrival.
For the past week, the Olympic Village has been occupied by some of the heads of delegations and their management, responsible for preparing to welcome their respective teams.
“There have been a few people for a week, yes, but it’s actually from Thursday that the village will really fill up,” assures André-Pierre Goubert.
“The big nations are coming”
On Thursday, “several hundred people, probably between one and two thousand”, including athletes and staff, are expected to pass through the gates of the village north of Paris, straddling Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen and the island of Saint-Denis, a source within the organizing committee told AFP,
“The big nations will arrive on the first day of the opening […] England, the United States, New Zealand, Brazil, Switzerland,” assured André-Pierre Goubert.
“We are ready,” assured the deputy director of the Village, Augustin Tran Van Chau, on France Info on Thursday morning.
At its peak, the Village, which covers 52 hectares, will accommodate nearly 14,500 people, including 9,000 athletes.
“It should be a real anthill,” predicts a leader of the French Olympic movement. Because the population will not be composed only of athletes or their staff.
“We will have 4,000 employees in the village: those from Paris 2024, those from the companies with which we have contracts – and there are many of them of course to run the Village, mainly for cleaning and catering – and we also have 1,500 volunteers who will work here in the village, mainly to support the delegations on a daily basis,” explains Laurent Michaud, the village director.
On the French side, only the women’s water polo team will open the show on Thursday, a total of “around thirty people with their staff”, the first to discover the building reserved for the Blues, assures André-Pierre Goubert.
The advantage of the host country is that France was able to choose its building, not far from the restaurant installed in the Cité du Cinéma, and close to the village polyclinic. And since the beginning of June, the teams of the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF) have been busy equipping the premises as best as possible.
” I’m really looking forward ”
The 573 athletes of the French delegation and the 51 substitutes (624 in total) will not all be staying in the north of the capital: 25% of them will be on decentralized sites or at INSEP.
Those staying at the Village will benefit from a private 170 m2 gym.2 – The village offers a collective one – a social room with a 5x3m television screen, snacks in addition to the restaurant, board games and table football.
“There is also a rooftop… In terms of layout, it is the best building in France that we have had,” assures André-Pierre Goubert. “We are at home, there is no time difference or acclimatization necessary, so people will come as close (as possible) to the day of their competition,” he warns.
“Honestly, I’m really looking forward to it,” admitted judoka Amandine Buchard, “I haven’t seen any photos, I don’t even know where to place it. It’s going to be a real discovery.”
The French team has 485 beds and more than 900 m2 of common areas.
“We sleep very well there,” assures André-Pierre Goubert. And for the moment, no need for air conditioners, “we have reverse geothermal energy (guaranteeing 6 degrees less than outside, Editor’s note), and it works very well, I even added a blanket,” he assures.