A year from the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics, their impact is already starting to be felt in the suburb of Bobigny, where a specially adapted sports complex promises to bring opportunities for both able-bodied and disabled athletes in one of France’s poorest areas.
Some 95 percent of the 2024 Paris Olympics sites already exist, but among the few new ones being built is "Le Prisme" – France's first-ever sports complex that's fully adapted to people with disabilities.
It's still a worksite for the moment, but behind the cranes, scaffolding and concrete blocks lie big ambitions to bring high-level sports facilities to everyone, whether able-bodied or disabled.
As well as facilities for rugby, football, wheelchair basketball, table tennis, archery, fencing and dance, it will also house a centre dedicated to R&D in parasports.
Spread over three floors, the 13,000-square-metre, €55 million complex has a ramp spiralling around to facilitate access for wheelchair users.
A long wait
Le Prisme is being built in Bobigny – a suburb of Paris in France’s poorest department of Seine-Saint-Denis.
With a shortage of infrastructure and poor transport network, the town has its fair share of challenges, and addressing the needs of people with disabilities was not a priority.
But that's set to change when Le Prisme opens to the general public in September 2024 following the Paralympics.
"When you enter the big training hall, it’s magical," says Fabien Paillard, regional president for adaptive sports and an official with Seine-Saint-Denis’ Olympic committee.
"It’s taking shape. Our athletes have been waiting for these infrastructures for a long time," he told RFI’s Sylvie Koffi.
"In Seine-Saint-Denis we have a huge number of youngsters who need these places to train in."
Innovative project
All the equipment and facilities will be accessible to people with disabilities: the weapons room, a dojo, a multisports hall with bleachers, a 18.9 metre-high climbing wall.
Signs in braille and 3D modelling will ensure the visually impaired can make full use of facilities, while small quiet spaces will be available for individuals with cognitive disorders to rest.
A balneotherapy room will be located next to medical areas providing physio or occupational therapy, linking sport and health.
"It’s a real gem," says Stephane Troussel, head of the local council in Seine-Saint-Denis. He describes Le Prisme as a "flagship of the entire Paralympic strategy both during, and following, the Games."
On 1 April 2024, Le Prisme sports complex will open its doors to athletes training for the Paris Paralympics, notably the handball teams.
However, none of the Paralympics competitions, held from 28 August to 8 September, will be staged there.
"We're a bit disappointed," said Paillard, "but what we need most on the ground is post-2024. [Le Prisme] is a legacy."
Getting there
Le Prisme will be able to accommodate around 10,000 people.
While it will be open to all, everyone has to be able to get there. And for the moment that's far from the case.
The Motte stadium is a 30-minute walk from the nearest metro line, and the new station set to link it to the existing transport network, as part of a plan to expand connections in Paris suburbs, doesn't open until 2030.
