PARIS (AP) — Sip a cold caipirinha in Brazil. Taste a spicy samosa in India. Dance to a DJ in France until the wee hours. Or do all three in one day, and maybe meet some athletes.
If you’re in Paris but don’t have Olympic tickets, organizers want you to know that you can while away your days – and your nights drinking too – at the Parc des Nations, which hosts 15 national team party clubs in what amounts to a mini-World’s Fair on the outskirts of Paris.
The project gives a new provisional name to the Parc de la Villette, a 55-hectare space in the northeast of the capital. It will open on Saturday, after Friday’s ambitious opening ceremony on the Seine, with its enormous security requirements, is over.
Imagine a huge multicultural fan zone. The idea is to allow visitors to connect with each other, with the Olympic athletes (who will come to celebrate their medals) and with the Games themselves, the organizers explained.
“The slogan of these Olympic Games is ‘Games open to all’, and we wanted to bring this slogan to life,” said Amélie Guignabert of the Paris 2024 organizing committee. “We really believe in it.”
All they need, she noted, are fans – and officials are advertising in the Paris metro and elsewhere.
There is certainly room for them. The largest venue is unsurprisingly Club France, which can accommodate 5,000 to 6,000 people inside and 20,000 in the outdoor areas, which include two huge pitches.
The other team clubs are Casa Brazil, Canada Team House, Casa Colombia, Czech House, India House, Casa Mexico, Team NL (Netherlands) House, Mongolia House, Serbian House, Slovak House, Slovenian House, Chinese Taipei Pavilion, Volia Space (Ukraine) and Ekhaya South Africa.
Within Club France is a large stage, where athletes will appear after winning medals and where nightly musical events will be offered, including sets by DJs such as Bob Sinclar, said Arnaud Courtier, general manager of Club France.
“We like to party,” he said.
Fans can pay 5 euros ($5.42) and stay as long as they like, watching the Olympic competitions on a giant screen and interviews with the athletes, cheering on the medalists and buying food and drinks. They can also buy a package that costs up to 385 euros ($418) for an all-night bar and a prime spot on stage.
Outside, about twenty improvised pavilions designed by architecture students house various French sports federations. Among other activities, visitors will be able to learn from coaches and try their hand at sports.
The project began with the decision to install Club France at La Villette, explains Sophie-Justine Lieber, the park’s general manager. Then, countries that didn’t have clubs elsewhere decided to join.
The park, with its many structures, was able to meet particular needs: for example, Slovenia and the Czech Republic wanted places with kitchens to showcase their national cuisines, and Mongolia wanted an outdoor space to erect yurts, the traditional circular dwellings.
And beach volleyball? It’s an attraction in Brazil, as is music like samba and funk. And of course, the national cocktail, caipirinha, as well as pao de queijo, Brazilian cheese bread.
Organizers of the Indian pavilion have announced that it will be the country’s first home at the Olympics, a step towards their dream of one day hosting the Games in India.
India House spares no effort to showcase the country’s cultural richness. For example, it brought in a huge loom on which artisans weave traditional saris and carpets. Among the many exhibits, one wall showcases Gond art from the state of Madhya Pradesh, as well as photos of all the Indian athletes competing this year.
Among them, a key face: javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, a star in India who has 9 million followers on Instagram.
There will of course be Indian food: samosas, spicy chai tea, tasty dhokla and much more. Bollywood music will be played and fans will be able to try their hand at yoga and cricket.
Organiser B. Srinivasan, greeting the media on Tuesday evening, said the Games were an ideal time to showcase a new India and highlighted the many personalities India has exported to the world, including Indian-origin politicians like Rishi Sunak, the former British prime minister. And, in the most timely of references, Kamala Harris, the US vice president who is now running for the top job after President Joe Biden ended his campaign for a second term.
