What the Paris Aquatic Center is like, the headquarters of the 2024 Olympic Games for swimming

The organization of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 has invested heavily in the space to host water disciplines, such as swimminglos ornamental jumps y water polo. In this sense: What is the Aquatic Center like?

The tourism website that specializes in City LightParisjetaime.com, indicates that the property is “located in front of the Stade de Franceto which it is linked by a footbridge over the A1 motorway”.

“The Saint-Denis Aquatic Center has capacity for 5,000 spectators. It will host the artistic swimming, diving and water polo events (excluding the finals, which are held at the Paris La Défense Arena),” that site highlighted.

Swimming has been part of this competition since its beginnings in ancient Greece, and for various reasons this sport has a lot of tradition. For the Greeks, swimming was a vital skill for every citizen, a fundamental part of physical education, along with running and wrestling, which is why these disciplines have a long history in humanity.

The best times obtained by swimmers in the world are ratified by the International Swimming Federation. It must also be taken into account that there is a difference between the world record and the Olympic record, since the latter only corresponds to the marks produced during a Game. An Olympic record can be at the same time a world record, but not the other way around.

According to the official website of the Olympic Games (Olympics.com), the Aquatic Center is, along with the Le Bourget Sports Climbing Venue, one of the stages that was under construction until a few weeks ago.

“With a look that transcends the Games themselves, the Aquatic center was designed to address the needs of the department of Siena-Saint Denis, which will be the region where it will be hosted, and of the French swimming community, which will thus have a venue capable of hosting the most important national and international competitions in the specialty. “he describes.

“The Aquatic Center will be connected to the neighboring Stade de France through a pedestrian bridge that crosses the A1 Motorway. The work represents a significant public investment for the region of the Siena-Saint Denis, which was in great need of large venues for sporting events. The new configuration of the venue will be modular: it will be able to change from a capacity of 5,000 seats, for the Games, to around 2,500, for when it is necessary to host events in the region itself in the future,” he assures.

The Aquatic Center will have a low carbon emission and all the materials with which it will be built will respond to a biological base. The wooden structure and roof frame were designed to generate an ideal integration with the surrounding vegetation. Thanks to a 5,000 m2 roof covered with photovoltaic panels, it will have one of the largest urban solar panels in France and will be supplied with all the energy the headquarters needs.

“In addition, the interior accessories will be developed with recyclable material and will be manufactured in France, in order to demonstrate the country’s experience in environmental development,” the organization says.

In the future, the Aquatic Center will be multifunctional: there will be everything from swimming classes or recreational activities to top-level competitions. Starting in July 2025, it will become a venue for different sports and will be open to the public.

It will have two swimming pools (50m and 25m), a fitness area, a climbing area, paddle tennis courts and team sports practice fields. In addition, it will feature an adjustable floor to facilitate the use of different special activities, such as swimming classes for babies and children.

“The Aquatic Center will represent the cutting-edge setting that the French swimming community has been waiting for for years. The French Swimming Federation will have a headquarters to host the four disciplines covered in national and international competitions and, as if that were not enough, the venue will provide the best federal training facilities in the specialty for the main national athletes. In addition, it will host the country’s diving center,” they conclude from Olympics.com.