Road to Paris: Olympic and Paralympic test events programme announced

While these test events are not going to be an exact copy of the competitions that will take place during the Games, they are intended to ensure that everything is ready for Friday, July 26, 2024, the day on which the opening ceremony will take place. The tests will also help identify possible adjustments that may be necessary for the Games.

To comply with the Paris 2024 organization, three types of test events were defined.

• Test events organized by Paris 2024: International competitions were created to meet knowledge needs about certain sports or venues. These events include triathlon and mountain biking.
  
• Test events operated by National or International Federations: these events will allow Paris 2024 to test operations at events for which other bodies are responsible. One of them will be slalom canoeing.
  
• Operational tests: they will be organized by Paris 2024 and will include a series of specific closed-door tests with a limited number of invited athletes. Some of them will be held at Grand Palais, Versailles and Roland-Garros.

As a crucial part of the testing program, test events will take place in the 12 months leading up to the Games. The last of these, athletics and para-athletics, will take place in June 2024 at the Stade de France. The first will be an international sailing competition that will be held in the Port of Marseille from July 9 to 16, 2023.

The event schedule was carefully designed taking into account the special requirements of each sport and the different venues of the Olympic and Paralympic competitions, always in collaboration with the International Federations and partners that provide services for the holding of the event.

Edouard Donnelly, director of operations for Paris 2024, highlighted the importance of carrying out this test schedule: “This program has two parts: test events and simulation work. What is a little different from previous Games is that we want to simplify and ensure that we are sustainable in terms of environment and finance. That is why we have adapted the test program, sport by sport, at very specific points. These tests are not definitive tests of the Games, but will be a preparation in technical and resource terms”.

Olympic events for Paris 2024: important dates in 2023

Test events organized by Paris 2024

• July 9-16: International Sailing Competition, Marseille.
  
• August 17-20: International Triathlon Competition, Paris
  
• 24/09: International mountain bike competition, Élancourt.
  

Test events organized by National or International Federations:

• July 26-27: French National Youth Championship, National Golf Championship, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
  
• August 2-6: Junior Rowing World Cup, Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium
  
• August 1-20: WSL SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro, Teahupo’o, Tahiti
  
• August 19 and 20: Archery World Cup in Les Invalides, Paris
  
• August 30 - September 1: International Sprint Canoeing and Para-canoeing Open, Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium
  
• October 5-8: Slalom Canoeing World Cup Finals, Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium
  

Operational Tests:

• July 27-30: Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris
  
• August: Palace of Versailles (horse riding)
  
• August-September: Champs de Mars, Paris (wheelchair rugby, judo, para-judo, wrestling)
  
• August 9-15: South Paris Arena 4 and 6, Paris
  
• August 11-15: Grand Palais, Paris
  
• August 18-20: La Concordia, Paris
  
• August 22: Palace of Versailles
  
• August 19: The Invalids, Paris (para-archery)
  
• 25/08-1/09: Champs de Mars Arena, Paris
  
• September: Bercy Arena, Paris (transition from artistic gymnastics to basketball and wheelchair basketball)