Paris Olympics + CS
There’s nothing quite like the international competition at the Olympics to get us in a Team USA mood. It doesn’t matter whether you’re tuning in to cheer on Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky while they smash records or you just like listening to Snoop Dogg commentate—watching how any host city transforms to accommodate the influx of athletes and spectators is nothing short of amazing, and the 2024 Paris Games are no exception. We can’t resist pointing out our products when they’re connected to a major sporting event (here is lots of evidence), so let’s take a look at some projects in and around the City of Light.*
Stade Départemental Yves-du-Manoir
This sports complex located in Colombes in the northwest suburbs of Paris is now part of an exclusive club—it has hosted Olympic events twice, first during the 1924 Summer Games. Additionally, its athletics track has hosted numerous French championships (every year until the 2000s) and international athletics matches. The stadium’s central pitch was the site of the 1924 Summer Olympics, the 1938 Football World Cup final, 40 French Football Cup finals, many French rugby league finals, and international matches for the French football and rugby league teams.
CS products:
• Expansion Joint Solutions: GFSW and GFS
• Wall Protection: Acrovyn® Wall Covering in solid colors
Val Parisis Olympic Aquatic Center
An intercommunal aquatic center located about 20 km (around 12 miles) from the Olympic village, this project was a “Games preparation” center. The facility offers athletes a 10-lane, 50m Olympic pool, a diving pit, and a six-lane, 25m warmup and recovery pool.
The 62-hectare site straddles the towns of Taverny and Saint-Leu-la-Forêt, and the project replaced their two older pools. The center also features pools for activities (aquagym, baby swimmers, etc.), other fitness areas including weight lifting, a spa, and grandstands with 500 fixed and 700 removable seats.
CS products:
• Wall Protection: Acrovyn® Wall Covering in solid colors
The Grand Palais Éphémère is a temporary exhibition hall built to host major cultural and sporting events during the renovation of the Grand Palais. It was installed on the Champ-de-Mars in early 2021 and will be dismantled this autumn, after hosting the judo and wrestling events at the 2024 Summer Olympics as well as the judo and wheelchair rugby at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
CS products:
• Expansion Joint Solutions: Jointofeu® Fire-Resistant Cords
Footbridge over the Saint-Denis canal
Connecting the Francs-Moisins district of Saint Denis with La Plaine Stade de France, this bridge is one of two that were constructed to replace an old swing bridge. Residents and visitors can save long detours when they cross on foot or bike.
CS products:
• Expansion Joint Solutions: APF
Located at the Paris Le Bourget Exhibition Centre, the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) is the temporary broadcast and radio and television production center for the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and all official media. At least 10,000 technicians are expected, and, thanks to the IBC, more than 250,000 hours of programming are possible.
CS products:
• Wall Protection: Acrovyn® Wall Covering in solid colors
If you ask us, those are some gold medal-level projects. We love knowing our solutions are part of the world’s foremost sports competition, and we hope they inspire our customers as much as the Games do. Let us know if you spot more CS products at the Olympics!
*The products mentioned in this post were supplied by our operations in France and may not be available in the United States. We provided links to our equivalent products in the US where applicable. Contact your local sales representative with any questions.