Monday 08 / July / 2024
PARIS: The Paris 2024 Organizing Committee introduced its unprecedented celebration ceremony, the Champions Park, in a media briefing on Thursday.
For the first time in Olympic Summer Games history, medalists will be invited to commune with sports fans to celebrate their medals and achievements in a meeting spot. The Champions Park, facing the Eiffel Tower in Trocadero Gardens, will be the place to see all medal-winning athletes to share their joy with spectators from around the world.
In addition, the Champions Park will also serve as the gathering place for athletes arriving by boat during the opening ceremony, as well as the finish line for race walking and cycling events. The Paris 2024 Organizing Committee believes that holding the celebration here, with the iconic Eiffel Tower as a backdrop, adds significant commemorative value for the athletes.
While medal ceremonies for the Paris Olympic Games will still take place at the respective venues, medal-winning athletes will be invited to Champions Park. They will parade through the center of the celebration site to showcase their medals. Spectators will have the chance to meet the athletes up close, congratulate them, and share in their joy.
The Champions Park will be open on July 29, July 31, August 1, and from August 5 to August 10. Athletes from different sports will arrive at the park the day after or two days after winning their medals to celebrate. The daily events, held in the afternoons, will include warm-ups, performances by artists, athlete celebration ceremonies, and live broadcasts of major competitions.
Each day's ceremony will feature a legendary Olympian. Announced participants include American sprinter Carl Lewis, New Zealand rugby legend Dan Carter, and Romanian gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci. More renowned athletes will be announced in the coming days.
During the park's opening hours, admission will be free. The Champions Park can accommodate 13,000 spectators on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition to celebrating with the athletes, spectators can enjoy food, beer, and purchase official Paris Olympics souvenirs.
Regarding security, Celebration Director Delphine Moulin explained that Trocadero Gardens will implement the same security standards as all Olympic venues. "Except for the fact that no tickets are required, everything here will be managed according to the standards of competition venues," she said.
The idea of Champions Park was first proposed by Martin Fourcade, Chairman of the Paris 2024 Athletes' Commission. He stated, "Champions Park is a groundbreaking concept for the Summer Olympic Games, designed to deliver unforgettable experiences for the athletes. In an exceptional setting, the concepts of sharing and openness, celebrating athletes from all nationalities and all disciplines, have been the key words guiding the Athletes' Commission, which, from the outset, has been supporting the project."
