Paris 2024: three Olympic swimming pools as a legacy for Seine-Saint-Denis, after the Olympics
By Writing Ile de France
Published on
At the end of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Gamesof the swimming pools will be bequeathed to Sevran, Pierrefitte-sur-Seine and Bagnolet, in Seine-Saint-Denis. These allocations have been validated by the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (Cojo).
Three municipalities selected, soon a fourth
In December 2020, Paris 2024 – supported by the Departmental Council and the Prefecture of Seine-Saint-Denis – launched a call for expressions of interest to offer different municipalities the chance to inherit one of the three temporary pools, integrated for the Games. “At the end of the competitions, they will be dismantled, then reinstalled in a permanent way”, indicated Paris 2024 in a press release.
These kit pools, above ground, are made from individual plates, nested together, easy to disassemble and transport. The system has already been tested in 2016 Olympics in Rio. The basins had been distributed in various municipalities of Brazil. For the moment, Sevran, Pierrefitte-sur-Seine and the agglomeration Is Ensemble Bagnolet have been chosen. A fourth municipality should inherit a swimming pool.
An Olympic swimming pool cut in two
In order to be selected, candidate cities must meet three criteria, established by the organizers. Do they have the necessary space to accommodate aquatic equipment in their town centre? Do they have the means to maintain it? And, finally, does this equipment meet a real need for the municipality?
According to the County Council, one of the three basins will be divided into two. “Each bequeathed basin measures 50 meters long. One of them will then be transformed into two pools 25 meters long. The pools transferred will be those built at La Défense Arena – Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine), as well as at the Olympic Aquatic Center in Saint-Denis. These include two warm-up pools, as well as the one hosting the swimming, para-swimming and water polo events at the Arena.
The cards reshuffled in Montfermeil
Montfermeil had originally volunteered to receive one of these temporary pools. But after several months of reflection and difficulties, the municipality withdrew from the project, although it does not have any aquatic equipment.
“Exchanges will continue between Paris 2024 and other territories, but we do not yet know what is planned”, indicates a source familiar with the matter. One thing is certain, the fourth municipality will be “therefore also located in Seine-Saint-Denis, to reinforce the legacymarks Paris 2024. The Olympic organizers want to ensure the promise that the infrastructure will benefit the French once the Games are over.
A department lacking in terms of equipment
The issue of aquatic heritage is all the more important in Seine-Saint-Denis as the department is one of the most lacking in terms of aquatic facilities. This deficit leads to an extremely low rate of swimming skills in Seine-Saint-Denis. 60% of children in the department cannot swim when entering 6th gradee.
From a social point of view, “the Olympic and Paralympic Games that Seine-Saint-Denis hosts are a unique opportunity to leave a concrete and useful legacy for the inhabitants of the department”, insisted Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024, in December 2020. A legacy with a symbolic aura: “This reuse plan is extremely important for our department. It is a source of pride for the inhabitants to be able to swim in the same pools as great Olympic athletes. »
Louise POINTU D’IMBLEVAL.
This article was written in partnership with the Training and advanced training center for journalists (CFPJ).
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