Paris 2024 Denies Temporary Aquatics Center Plan

(ATR) Games organizers dismiss speculation they are considering a temporary aquatics venue to slash costs, as the International Paralympic Committee wraps up its visit.

A report in Le Parisien suggested the option had emerged amid the spiraling costs of the Paris Olympic project. The bid book plan calls for a newly-built venue in the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris, which reportedly has an estimated price tag of over $130 million.

But a Paris 2024 spokesman tells Around the Rings that Games organizers were "working to confirm and optimize the project" in conjunction with Olympic stakeholders such as delivery partner Solideo and the government.

"However, the plan remains to secure a 50m swimming pool for the legacy in Saint Denis," he said, adding that the temporary venue option "is not what we are working on at the moment".

"Once again we want to avoid major changes in the [Paris 2024] concept. The swimming pool is a key element for us."

Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet told reporters last week at SportAccord that Paris 2024 was working to develop a plan to present to the IOC during the first coordination commission visit to the French capital in June.

"The idea is just to find the best model to make sure the legacy will be effective and the cost will be reasonable; that’s the main challenge," Estanguet said.

IPC Wraps Visit to Paris

The International Paralympic Committee and Paris 2024 have hammered out a roadmap for preparations following the first ‘project review’ in the French capital.

An IPC delegation led by president Andrew Parsons and CEO Xavier Gonzalez on Friday concluded a two-day working visit at INSEP, France’s center of sports excellence and training hub for the country’s "Generation 2024" hopefuls.

Estanguet and his team provided an update on Paralympic preparations since Paris was awarded the 2024 Games last September.

IPC leaders also heard a progress report on the committee’s major 2018 milestones: team recruitment and organisation; finalization of the technical plan; development of the vision; marketing strategy and legacy ambition.

In a statement, Estanguet emphasized that from the start of the bid, "we have considered the Olympic and Paralympic Games as a single and unified project. Paralympic leaders and athletes are present in all the Paris 2024 governance structures".

"Ultimately, Paris will deliver the most spectacular promotional platform for the Paralympic Movement and its athletes."

He talked of an ambitious Paralympic program that Paris 2024 "will drive together with all our partners".

Paris 2024 outlined the shared goals of delivering the Paralympics to ensure "to ensure the Games play their part in shaping a more inclusive society".

Specific objectives include: widening sports participation among people with disabilities, by increasing the number of clubs and venues offering programs for all; changing attitudes towards impairment and inclusion, drawing particularly on the Olympic and Paralympic Schools Week to help educate the younger generation; and improving accessibility of infrastructure and the public space.

At Friday’s orientation seminar, IPC officials presented lessons from previous Paralympic Games, emphasizing the need to anticipate requirements of the transition phase across all aspects of Games preparations, which can lead to cost savings and benefit the athlete experience.

The IPC said the concept of inclusion should be embedded throughout the organization over the entire six-year hosting cycle in order to maximize the Games’ positive impact on society.

"The Paralympics in Paris will undoubtedly lead to social transformation and it was an important first step to discuss the plans Paris 2024 has to achieve it," said IPC chief Parsons after Friday’s meetings.

"Every edition wants to be the best Paralympic Games in history and, from what we have seen and heard so far, Paris can definitely achieve it."

The IOC’s Paris 2024 coordination commission will visit France for its first inspection visit on June 18 and 19.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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