Hosted in the Trocadéro gardens, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower adorned with the Olympic rings, the Parc des Champions is a fan zone unlike any other, and not just for its breathtaking views. Accessible free of charge and without reservation, the site, which can accommodate up to 13,000 people, hosts a parade each evening of French and international medal-winning athletes who finished their competitions the day before or earlier.
The opening act, on Tuesday, August 6, at 5:45 pm, was four-time gold medalist and new French hero Léon Marchand. The crowd went wild, chanting "Lé-on, Lé-on" for the swimmer from Toulouse, shirtless in the 29°C temperature. He was joined by the rest of the French men's 4 x 100 m medley relay team, who won the bronze medal on August 4. Florent Manaudou took the microphone to thank the crowd for their kindness. "La Marseillaise" was sung.
Swimmers gave high fives to spectators gathered around the stage, took selfies on their phones and signed T-shirts. Then the first notes of "Freed From Desire" sounded to accompany the athletes' exit. And when the chorus arrived, the whole Trocadéro shook to the rhythm of the jumping crowd.
Four friends from Pau were having the time of their lives. The day before, they had been at the beach volleyball events held on the Champs-de-Mars. On the other side of the Eiffel Tower, they heard the cheers of the crowd at the Parc des Champions. So they came to see, and were not disappointed.
For over an hour, some 60 champions took to the stage, parading by discipline. And not all were from France – which already has their own fan zone at Club France in La Villette. "Here, the idea is to have a collective celebration, where athletes celebrate together even though they were adversaries just a few hours before, during the competition," explained Aurore Brumard and Pauline Hamel, in charge of major events and the Parc des Champions at the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (OCOG).
On Tuesday, the outside of the Trocadéro was transformed into a festival of flags flown by the fans: Australian ones to congratulate Jessica and Noemie Fox, gold medalists in canoeing; Dutch ones for the women's 3 x 3 basketball team that won the final against France. Or Dominica for Olympic triple jump champion Théa LaFond, who brought the Caribbean island of 73,000 inhabitants its first-ever Olympic medal. Among the spectators, it was the Lockhart family, originally from the island, who carried the green flag adorned with a sisserou parrot in the center: "We've come to show that we're here." When the gold medalist appeared, the father and his two children rushed to get as close to the stage as possible. They wanted to hand the flag to the athlete. Surprised and delighted, she waved it proudly and wouldn't let go of it during the parade.
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