(Paris) Hundreds of athletes will set up camp from Wednesday in the Athletes’ Village, which officially opens its doors north of Paris, a week before the launch of the Paralympic Games, according to the organizers.
The Olympic Games have barely ended when the Village has been refurbished to welcome the athletes taking part in the Paralympic Games, held in Paris from August 28 to September 8.
“We will welcome approximately 500 to 1,000 arrivals per day, with a peak on the first day,” said site director Laurent Michaud during a visit reserved for the press.
The Village, which covers 52 hectares in an area spanning Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen and Île Saint-Denis, will accommodate a total of up to 9,000 people during the competitions.
In addition to the 4,400 athletes, administrative staff, chaperones and doctors will reside there.
Between the two competitions, the site did not require any special redevelopment, because it was “programmed for the Paralympic phase”, according to its director. “All the roads, sidewalks and access points are completely accessible to people with reduced mobility”, specified Laurent Michaud.
Para-athletes from some 180 countries will live in the Village, including the majority of the 237 athletes in the French delegation.