Paris 2024 setting new legacy touchstones

Article posted by Coliseum, August 2^nd, 2024

Image: Coliseum GSVA

Paris 2024 (France) is setting new benchmarks for the positive impact and legacy the Games can create for the local people and the community and their environment. The Games are fully aligned with the Olympic Agenda 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC’s) strategic roadmap which shifts the focus from the hosts adapting to the Games, to the Games adapting to the hosts, and their economic, social and environmental needs.

‘International Olympic Committee’ stated that millions of people and businesses have benefited from the Games initiatives even before the event’s kickoff. With a strong focus on the social impact, Paris 2024 is set to redefine what it means to host the Olympic Games creating a better future for the generations to come.

The 2024 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad and branded as Paris 2024, is an international multisport event which got underway on July 24^th and will conclude on August 11^th in France with the opening ceremony having taken place on July 26^th.

The Olympic Agenda 2020 is a strategic roadmap for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Movement that was adopted in December 2014. The agenda is based on three pillars: Credibility, sustainability and youth.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a non-Governmental sports organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is the authority responsible for organizing the modern Olympic Games.

More Sport for More People

Paris 2024 has focused on making sport accessible and beneficial for everyone, particularly the young people. The key initiatives include:

Daily physical activity for the children: A national policy mandates 30 minutes of daily physical activity in the French primary schools aiming to integrate exercise into the daily routine of the young students;
1, 2, 3 Nagez! (1,2,3 Swim!): This program provides free swimming lessons to over 36,000 children across France, including 9,400 from Seine-Saint-Denis (Department of France), helping develop essential swimming skills and promoting water safety; and
Olympic and Paralympic Week: Mobilizing five million young people across eight editions to engage with sport, fostering a culture of physical activity and sporting spirit among the young people.

To bring sport closer to the people, Paris 2024 initiatives include the following:

Five thousand (5,000) community sports facilities: These facilities were established in neighborhoods across France ensuring more opportunities for the people to engage in sport and stay active within their communities;
Two hundred and seventy-five (275) swimming pools: Constructed in areas lacking swimming infrastructure, these pools aim to provide access to swimming facilities for more people, particularly in the underserved regions;
Terre de Jeux program: This program inspired 4,500 Cities and regions to engage with Paris 2024 resulting in over 50,000 sport-related events thereby promoting sports participation nationwide; and
Inclusive and economic opportunities through sport.

Paris 2024 is committed to ensuring that the Games benefit everyone with a particular focus on inclusivity and economic opportunity:

Impact 2024 Fund: EUR 47 million has been distributed to support grassroots projects directly benefiting 4.5 million people by funding initiatives that use sport to improve lives; and
Some 500 local businesses from the social and solidarity economy (ESS) – small- and medium-sized companies that balance economic, social and environmental objectives – have been contracted by Paris 2024 so far actively contributing to the organisation of the Games in areas such as construction, catering, furniture, or laundry services.

Opportunities for women and vulnerable groups:

Paris Sportives: Offers supervised sports activities for the young girls encouraging their participation in sports traditionally dominated by men;
Demain avec Elles: Helps girls discover and participate in new sports providing them with opportunities to engage in physical activities and gain confidence;
Kabubu Association: Organizes sports tournaments where the locals and the refugees can play together fostering integration and building friendships;
Three thousand (3,000) ‘Para-hosting’ clubs: Opening up the sports clubs for people with disabilities ensuring accessible sports facilities for all; and
Sport Senior en Plein Air: Promotes physical activity for the older people encouraging them to stay active and healthy.

The Games are also generating substantial economic opportunities:

Social Charter: Signed in 2019, it integrates social considerations into economic opportunities ensuring that the Games contribute positively to the local communities;
Skills development: 30,000 people trained in new skills for future careers enhancing their employability and career prospects;
Employment: 181,100 people are employed in Games-related jobs boosting the local job market;
Local economy: Ninety (90) percent of the suppliers are French with 78 percent being small- and medium-sized enterprises. The Games are expected to generate between EUR 6.9 and EUR 11.1 billion in economic activity within the Paris Metropolitan area significantly benefiting the local economy; and
Urban regeneration: Transforming the suburbs in the North of Paris.

Seine-Saint-Denis, the heart of Paris 2024, stands to gain significantly from the Games:

Impact 2024 Fund projects: Directly benefited 400,000 residents;
Integration contracts: 1,900 people from the area benefited;
Generation 2024 label: Awarded to over 460 schools in the area; and
Social economy (ESS) organizations: 27 organizations won 42 Games-related tenders.

Key facilities in Seine-Saint-Denis include:

The Aquatics Centre: After the Games, it will be transformed into a multisport facility featuring fitness areas, a climbing wall, a skate park, and more; and
The Olympic Village: This will become a new residential district with 2,800 apartments for 6,000 people, 25 percent of which will be social housing. It will also include leisure, commercial, community, and educational facilities.

‘International Olympic Committee’ further stated that the Games have also served as an accelerator to clean up the River Seine with significant investment allocated for pollution remediation with the aim of enabling all Parisians to enjoy the river from 2025 onwards. The initiative is part of the City’s future climate resilience planning.

Setting new standards for future events

Paris 2024 is not just setting a new standard for its own Games, it is also raising the bar for the future sporting events. In collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the international bodies such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Paris 2024 has established new and elevated existing, international standards in economic, social and environmental sustainability, including ISO 20121 (a voluntary international standard for sustainable event management), OECD Guides on Impact Assessment, Ville Active et Sportive label, and the Terrain d’égalité label.

Geneva (Switzerland)-based the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent, non-Governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of the member-countries. Membership requirements are given in Article 3 of the ISO Statutes.

Paris (France)-based the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an interGovernmental organization with 38 Member-countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade.

Olympic Legacy

Olympic legacy includes the long-term benefits that the Olympic Games create for the Host City, its people and the Olympic Movement before, during and long after the Olympic Games.

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