The organisers of Paris’s bid for the 2024 Olympic Games have unveiled plans to build a 15,000-capacity aquatics centre if the city’s application is successful.
Located in the Saint-Denis region of Paris, the centre will house two 50m (165ft) swimming pools and two diving pools. Once the Games are over the capacity will be scaled down to 2,500.
The aquatics centre will be the only facility that will need to be constructed for the Games, and will be home to the swimming, synchronised swimming and diving events. The venue will be connected to the Stade de France, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies.
Tony Estanguet, co-chair of the Paris 2024 bid, said the facility would be a “spectacular venue for Olympic sport providing optimal conditions for world-class performances”.
“The new venue’s close proximity to the Stade de France and the athletes’ village enhances the compactness of the Paris 2024 bid with great accessibility for athletes, spectators and media,” he added.
“The new Olympic sports hub will serve as a central pillar in the Saint-Denis community bringing even more Olympic sport to the city, further embedding Olympism in everyday life in Paris and creating a strong legacy for the youth population.”
French Swimming Federation president Francis Luyce said: “The venue will also play a very important role in the community of Saint-Denis providing all citizens with greater access to top-class facilities.”
Paris will find out if it has won the right to host the Olympic Games next year in the face of competition from Budapest, Los Angeles and Rome.
