The Paris 2024 Olympics Champions Parade, the ultimate moment of celebration for French athletes

JO PARIS 2024 – The equivalent of a Stade de France to celebrate a summer of sport like no other. Initiative launched at the beginning of August by Emmanuel Macron, in a desire for a last ” collective moment », « the parade of champions » will take place this Saturday, September 14 in Paris to honor all those who contributed to the success of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

From 3:30 p.m., this Olympic parade, never before seen in France (broadcast on TF1 and France 2), will allow 70,000 people to enjoy a final moment of great communion. The opportunity to applaud the medal-winning athletes, before a big concert to conclude this epilogue of the Games in France with music.

Here’s what you need to know about this Olympic parade, for which “all places have been reserved” within an hour of a dedicated ticket office opening on Wednesday.

· Grand parade on the Champs-Élysées

As revealed by the Élysée during a press briefing on Wednesday, the festivities of the ” champion parade” will begin with a two-hour parade, featuring 8,000 to 10,000 people, who will walk up the Champs-Élysées on a podium.

And while many athletes have already answered the call, they will not be alone in parading in front of nearly 30,000 people along the most famous Parisian avenue. Volunteers, as well as members of the Games organization, the Paris City Hall and representatives of the French sports movement will also benefit from this spotlight on those who made these Games possible.

As for the athletes, many champions will be present, but not only. By midweek, 182 Olympic athletes had confirmed their presence on Saturday. Among them: 78 medalists, including 27 gold (Léon Marchand, Teddy Riner, Antoine Dupont, Cassandre Beaugrand, the Lebrun brothers will be there) but also 104 French athletes who left the Games without medals. On the Paralympic side, 137 athletes will also be there, including fifty medalists (Sandrine Martinet, Gloria Agblemagnon, Alexis Hanquinquant, etc.).

· Decoration of medalists

Once they arrive on the upper part of the Champs-Élysées, the athletes will take possession of an XXL podium, designed for the occasion. In the shape of a ring, this 360-degree podium, 300 meters long, will between Avenue Georges V and Place de l’Étoile ” will allow the second part of the public (40,000 people) to attend the decoration of medal-winning French athletes throughout the summer. It should begin at 6:30 p.m.

As tradition dictates, they will be decorated with the Legion of Honor or the National Order of Merit by the President of the Republic depending on the metal of their medal. Several other presenters have been invited for this ceremonial sequence, including several glories −more or less recent− of French sport already holders of a decoration. An award ceremony that will therefore take place outdoors, as Emmanuel Macron wished to get away from the solemn setting of the Élysée.

Before receiving their final reward of the summer, the athletes will step aside for a moment to rekindle the flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

· Place au spectacle

Before definitively closing this enchanted interlude, France will end its Games as it began them: with music. From 9 p.m., the Place de l’Étoile will be transformed into a living stage, for what Thierry Reboul, director of the Games ceremonies, presented as « un best of » musical from the four previous ceremonies.

While the presence of the artist has indeed been confirmed, their identity remains a mystery for the moment. This two-hour concert, broadcast on France2, will reserve some “ surprises » et “spectacular elements”, Thierry Reboul also promised, while certain artists seen during the Games should make their return.

Creator of the musical identity of these Paris Games, the composer Victor Le Masne has promised “a great concert with artists” on this ring-shaped stage that will surround the Arc de Triomphe. The concert will also be accompanied by a projection on the facade of the Parisian monument. The organizers have also revealed the presence of a DJ set from 11 p.m. to midnight from the Arc de Triomphe, to conclude this final communion of ” brilliantly ».