Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Populous’ involvement in Paris 2024 began in 2016 with designing the venues and infrastructure for the city’s bid books as part of the Olympic candidature process. This expanded to implementing temporary Games infrastructure and overlays for three venues and providing design guardianship for an additional 14.

The initial venue and infrastructure design laid the groundwork for an ambitious master plan to transform Paris into an Olympic Park. This plan included installing 38 venues across the city, many set against the backdrop of historic buildings, streets and landmarks like the Champs Elysees and the River Seine, as well as beach volleyball at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Crucially, it also established a sustainable approach and framework for the Games, utilizing existing venues or temporary infrastructure for 95% of the venues, with careful planning for the long-term legacy use of permanent venues.

Exemplifying the quality of sustainable venue development is the historic Yves-du-Manoir stadium, located in Colombes, northwest of Paris, where the Field Hockey competition will take place. The stadium was the main venue for the 1924 Paris Olympics and host of the 1938 World Cup Final, as well as France national football and rugby team matches until the 1970s. It also gained fame as the setting for the Olympic races depicted in the film Chariots of Fire.

A century after its inaugural role in the Olympics, Paris 2024 has been the catalyst for the redevelopment of Yves-du-Manoir, with the addition of a new main stand, training pitches and staff offices. This will mean that post-Games, the stadium development is equipped to transition into the headquarters for the French Hockey Federation. Populous, in collaboration with the Spartner consortium, spearheaded the design of temporary stands, infrastructure, and event overlays to prepare the venue for the Games.

The official slogan for Paris 2024 is ‘Games Wide Open’. “It is a collective ambition… to deliver inspiring Games that will help take the Olympic and Paralympic Movement into a new era,” said the President of Paris 2024, Tony Estanguet. “Bold and creative Games that dare to take a step outside the box, to challenge the current models, our ways of seeing things, our paradigms; to give us the opportunity to come together, to be proud together, to experience together.”