(Paris) Loops in the Seine with return against the current, ascent and descent of the cobblestones of the Champs-Élysées by bike and on foot: Paris-2024 lifted the veil on Thursday on the triathlon courses of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the French capital .
The routes, between the monuments of the City of Light, right bank as well as left bank, tick “three major objectives”, listed the president of the organizing committee of the 2024 Olympics (Cojo) Tony Estanguet. Namely “spectacular dimension”, “(physical) requirement and heritage” with the reopening of the Seine for swimming announced in 2025.
The routes differ slightly, between the individual Olympic event, the relay and the Paralympic competition, but the fundamentals remain the same with wanderings in front of the Grand Palais, the National Assembly or the Musée d’Orsay.
“These courses are a summary of what the Paris Games are: innovative, iconic, heritage,” added the deputy mayor of Paris in charge of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Pierre Rabadan. “It is a milestone event, the beginning of the reconquest of the Seine. »
The river has been prohibited for swimming since 1923. The opening of around twenty bathing areas in Île-de-France is planned in the years following the Games and from the summer of 2025 in the capital.
“We will have done in seven years what it would have taken thirty or forty years to do, excluding the organization of the Olympic and Paralympic Games”, still welcomed Pierre Rabadan.
The individual Olympic event (1500m swimming, 40km cycling and 10km running) offers two loops in the Seine of 910 meters and 590 meters between the Alexandre III and Invalides bridges. As well as 32 steps to swallow from the pontoon to the roadway of the bridge where the triathletes must ride their bikes.
“Both the current in the Seine and the cobblestones on the bike will allow the strongest, but also the smartest to win the race”, analyzed the French reigning world champion Léo Bergère by videoconference. “It’s not just about pushing the pedals as hard as you can, but using your brain. The winner will be the one having taken into account all these peculiarities of the course to avoid the pitfalls. »
A test event is scheduled for August 17-20 on the courses presented on Thursday. Two weeks after freestyle, August 5-6.