The Paris of the Olympic Games has metamorphosed – Technologist

An Eiffel Tower decorated with five gigantic Olympic rings, an Assemblée Nationale featuring six colorful and sporty copies of the Venus de Milo, a Place de la Concorde transformed into a spectacular temporary stadium, a Grande Halle de La Villette transformed into a gigantic Club France or a Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville transformed into a huge festive terrace: The Paris of the Olympic Games is starting to look its best, three days before the opening ceremony. The upcoming global event has profoundly changed the face of some of the capital’s tourist icons.

The temporary fences bristling along the banks of the Seine will soon be forgotten in the face of the majestic spectacle these installations promise. The Place de la Concorde is now inaccessible to cars. To enter the perimeter, you need the inevitable restrictive QR code. Huge bleachers have invaded the esplanade to frame the 3×3 basketball court and breakdance floor, as well as the streetpark for skateboarders and BMX riders. In the middle, the two fountains surrounding the obelisk continue to shoot water vigorously. There’s not a sound to be heard, and it’s easy to imagine the clamor of spectators on game days.

From the terrace of the Hôtel de la Marine overlooking the square, the view is impressive. The wooden reception desks, decorated in the colors of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, are ready to handle the flow of the 37,000 expected spectators; the tops of the bleachers display the flags of the competing countries. To the right, visitors can see the Champs-Elysées, free of traffic. To the left, the Tuileries Gardens, also decked out in the colorful blue, pink, yellow and water-green Paris 2024 signs, await the cauldron where the Olympic flame will burn for the duration of the Games.

Temporary terrace

The view from the Trocadero esplanade, also bristling with the barriers filtering out passers-by, is just as striking. Traffic is cut off 500 meters away, and the sounds of both the birds and the interjections of astonished tourists are audible. In the distance are the Eiffel Tower and the large, bright spot of the Champ-de-Mars beach volleyball stadium, surrounded by 12,800 flag-draped seats. Below the Palais de Chaillot is the Parc des Champions: A long track, where medal-winning athletes will parade every evening, covers both the Warsaw Fountain and the pools. On either side, the grandstands rise to their full height. In the back, at the far end of the forecourt, a massive tower will house the thousand foreign TV channels that are expected to be broadcasting.

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