Paris as a Sporting City: Reframing the Past in the 2024 Olympic Games

The long history of French sport and tourism played an integral role in the Paris Olympics 2024’s planning. The Paris games transported spectators around the city and country to sporting facilities from different eras of France’s sporting development, each reflecting the desires and needs of governments and sports stakeholders working both in concert and in opposition. Olympic organizers showed how Paris as a sporting city centred on world class facilities, such as the Stade de France, but they also included atypical temporary spaces including the Chateau de Versailles. With a range of sites from which to choose, Paris 2024 organizers navigated geography, environment, politics, and history to promote the games, offer a model for future Olympic bids, and provide space for a reimagination of Paris for future sportspeople.