Paris Olympic village ready on time as confidence grows

Paris (AFP): The organisers of the Paris Olympics are set to take the keys for the athletes’ village on Thursday a day ahead of schedule, reinforcing growing confidence that they will be ready for the Games.

An inauguration ceremony at the sprawling site in northern Paris will see President Emmanuel Macron attend as guest of honour, alongside chief organiser Tony Estanguet and a smattering of French athletes.

The roughly 40 low-rise tower blocks will house around 14,000 people over the course of the Olympics, which kick off on July 26, and another 9,000 during the Paralympics afterwards.

The handover target of March 1 for the crucial piece of Olympics infrastructure has been respected, demonstrating that France was “capable of delivering on time”, an advisor to Macron told reporters this week.

“Deadlines have been met despite the complexity of the site… Covid and despite the war in Ukraine,” the advisor added on condition of anonymity.

Only 3.0 percent above budget when inflation is taken into account, according to Macron’s office, the village is also seen as further evidence that the Paris Games can avoid the pitfalls of past editions.

Wasteful over-spending and extravagant “white elephant” infrastructure have tarnished the reputation of the Olympics, most recently in Rio in 2016 where the village fell vacant afterwards.

Concerns about climate change have also led activists to target the enormous carbon footprint of an event that brings together athletes and spectators from across the world every four years.

Opinion polls suggest a majority of French people still support the Paris Games, though expensive tickets, political bickering and disruption to life in the capital have soured the mood recently.