Historic palace to host Olympic equestrian events
The Palace of Versailles is set to host the equestrian events at the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.
It was confirmed yesterday (31 July) that Paris will host the 2024 Games with Los Angeles welcoming the Olympics and Paralympics in 2028.
The cities were the only two in the mix for both dates after Boston, Hamburg, Rome and Budapest withdrew from the bidding process.
Versailles hosted its first CSI5* in May and will be an estimated 35 minutes from athletes’ accommodation, according to the bidding documents.
“Paris 2024’s vision is built on sharing our project with every walk of society in France and beyond,” said Tony Estanguet, co-chairman of Paris 2024.
“It can rely on the unity of the five founding members to deliver — in coordination with the IOC [International Olympic Committee] — a fantastic centenary Games built on passion, purpose and engagement. We are ready for 2024.”
#France is ready to share our amazing #Paris2024 vision with the world ? | ?? is #ReadyFor24 ? #RoadToLima #MadeForSharing pic.twitter.com/WZ43hh9XFo#France is ready to share our amazing #Paris2024 vision with the world ? | ?? is #ReadyFor24 ? #RoadToLima #MadeForSharing pic.twitter.com/WZ43hh9XFo— Paris 2024 (@Paris2024) July 31, 2017— Paris 2024 (@Paris2024) July 31, 2017
Paris last hosted the Games in 1924 while Los Angeles has staged it twice, in 1932 and 1984.
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Mayor Anne Hidalgo added the announcement is a “win-win-win” situation.
“Paris and Los Angeles are two amazing global cities that are united in their support of the Olympic cause and we stand together now to help the Games thrive in 2024 and 2028,” she said.
“As today’s announcement shows, dialogue between the IOC and the two cities is progressing well.
“We are confident that a ‘win-win-win’ agreement can be finalised ahead of the IOC Session in Lima.”
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The Paris bid puts the athletes’ village on the northern edge of the city and there are plans for road and public transport upgrades ahead of the Games.
There will be provision for around 20,000 spectators for the Olympic dressage and showjumping and 60,000 for eventing. Para dressage will have seating for 12,000.
Ticket prices have been proposed to range between $17-$713(£12.85-£538.97). There is no indication yet how much tickets will cost for each individual sport.
The IOC has also announced it will be making an overall contribution to the value of $1.8 billion (£1.36 billion) to the Los Angeles 2028 organising committee.
These advanced funds are due to the longer planning period and to increase participation and access to youth sports programmes in the lead-up to the Games.
“Los Angeles presented an excellent candidature that embraces the Olympic agenda 2020 sustainability priorities by maximising the use of existing facilities and encouraging the engagement of more youth in the Olympic movement,” said IOC president Thomas Bach.
“Therefore, we are very happy that, as part of this host city contract, we are able to increase the access of the city’s youth to sport, and encourage the healthy lifestyle of Angelenos for the next 11 years.
The agreement will be put to the IOC session in Lima in September for approval.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.