April 2024
Paris 2024: Understanding What Makes These Games Unique
The Paris 2024 Olympics promises to be a groundbreaking event not only in sports but also in terms of gender equality, environmental responsibility, and innovation.
As the grand opening approaches, Paris and all the people of France are gearing up to welcome the world with bold initiatives that redefine what it means to host sustainable, inclusive, and cooperative games. How do these Games stand out for their commitment to gender equality and sustainability, implementing practices that may well become the new standard for future international events? Are you ready to explore behind the scenes of these transformations and how they shape not only the event itself but also the image of the brands associated with it?
MUST-READS
Ads, Coms and Brand Rights: How to Achieve Peak Form at the Paris 2024 Olympics?
With 15.3 million visitors and 4 billion television viewers from around the world expected, the Paris 2024 Olympics provide a golden opportunity for sponsorship and sports marketing. Beyond extraordinary visibility, the Olympics carry sports and health values that are beneficial for the images of partner companies.
To protect the sponsors who contribute significantly to the organization of the Games (with a budget of about 1 billion euros), and particularly their exclusive right to communicate during the Olympics, Rule 40 exists on the Olympic Charter of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and the Handbook of the IPC (International Paralympic Committee). It strictly regulates the promotional use of participants' images.
This means athletes themselves must adhere to specific rules when they communicate about their performances.
A Track Full of Secrets: The Innovations of the Paris 2024 Olympic Track
For the first time in the history of the Games, athletes in track and field will not compete on a traditional ochre track. Instead of the usual rusty-clay colour, the Paris 2024 athletics track, one of the summer's main attractions, will be purple.
Developed in collaboration with OBS, the broadcast production company of the IOC, this purple track presented challenges for the Italian manufacturer during the design stage. It was necessary to ensure that athletes would be clearly visible to the naked eye and on television broadcasts and that the purple colour would retain its prestige even when exposed to heat or rain.
It promises to be more performant and more eco-friendly. Discover all the secrets of the purple Olympic track of Paris 2024 in this article.
Who Was Alice Milliat? Meet The Tireless Advocate for Gender Equality in Sports.
Running. Jumping as high as possible. Kicking a ball. A little over a century ago, these actions were exclusively for men, until a Frenchwoman named Alice Milliat changed everything. In the early 20th century, coming from Nantes, she settled in Paris to promote women's sports. Until then she had been confined to domestic and maternal activities, but she also had decided to be no more.
Opposing Pierre de Coubertin, she established the Women's Olympic Games during the interwar period—with incredible success. Forgotten by mainstream and sports history, Alice Milliat was a passionate athlete, a pioneer, and a fighter. She managed to dispel stereotypes to enhance the recognition of women in sports and carve out a place for women in competitive arenas.
Today, women are gradually reclaiming the rights Alice Milliat fought for, and female athletes will be once again pushing the history of the Olympic Games by participating this year in the first gender-equal Games.
SNAPSHOT
Sneak Peek at Our Star
Behind the scenes of our latest film shoot for “Plaine Commune: D-93” at the INSEP with Timothée Adolphe, a Paralympic athlete who will be competing in sprint events this summer.
We wish him triumphant success!
BY THE NUMBERS
10,500
10,500 athletes are invited to participate in the Olympic Games. They will compete in 32 disciplines, including four newly addedl sports (surfing, climbing, breakdancing, and skateboarding). In total, 329 events are scheduled, with athletes from 203 invited nations taking part!
EARWORTHY
Eco-Champions: Behind the Scenes of Paris 2024’s Environmental Challenge
By relying on 95% existing or temporary venues, Paris 2024 is committed to sustainability at every level and is testing and developing innovative solutions to deliver responsible Games in collaboration with all stakeholders. Initiatives include using 100% renewable energy during the Games, circular economy practices, sustainable food sourcing, responsible digital technologies, clean mobility for the Olympic fleet, public transportation and soft mobility options for spectators, biodiversity preservation, and water management. But what exactly do we mean by more responsible Games? How can the Games serve as a model for more responsible future events? What innovative actions have been implemented? In this new episode of L'Empreinte, Alice Vachet hosts Georgina Grenon, Director of Environmental Excellence for Paris 2024. Podcast in French, bien sûr !
