The Paris 2024 Olympic Games promise to be more inclusive, eco-friendly and sustainable than ever before. From the construction of new sites, down to the food served to athletes and spectators, France has committed to keeping climate change top of mind as well as the impact on local communities. Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris Olympics, said: “We really wish to make Paris 2024 the first ‘Games Wide Open’, and we are fully dedicated to bringing this concept to life.”Preparations for the opening ceremony and 329 medal events across 32 sports are well underway in Paris, which will be the centrepoint of all Games.The country last held the Games exactly 100 years ago, the second of three times it has hosted the sporting extravaganza after 1900. Olympic events will commence on Wednesday, July 24. Football, rugby, handball, and archery tournaments will start then before the opening ceremony on Friday, July 26.The Games will end on Sunday, August 11. Paris will then host the Paralympic Games from Wednesday, August 28 to Sunday, September 8.Eleanor Cunningham has the story.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Avant-garde, gourmet and cutting-edge, the Paris Olympics promises to be an experience
00:10like no other, and this time they're doing things a little differently.
00:19For the first time, the opening ceremony will not take place in a stadium, but on the streets
00:24of Paris itself.
00:26Up and down the River Seine, a parade of athletes will take part in a flotilla, passing famous
00:31landmarks.
00:36Paris has already committed to reducing the Games' carbon footprint by half compared to
00:41any previous editions.
00:43They've set a carbon budget, which includes everything from construction to energy and
00:48transport, and in a fitting move, it's the first Games to be aligned with the Paris Agreement
00:54on climate change.
00:56They're also taking the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle motto very seriously, with 95% of the venues
01:02being pre-existing.
01:04The Aquatic Centre will run purely on solar power, and even most of the sport equipment
01:09has been rented.
01:12Another first for gender equality, and 5,250 men and 5,250 women are set to compete in
01:20the Games from July 26th to August 11th.
01:25From croissants to coq au vin, athletes and spectators have been told to expect gourmet
01:29all the way, and lots of local cuisine with a focus on plant-based foods.
01:34Farmers, chefs, artisans and caterers have all been asked to collaborate to showcase
01:39the best cuisine that France has to offer.