Paris Olympic Games: Landmarks Converted into Sports Facilities, Debut of New Events & Mexican Athletes Ready For Competition

As Paris prepares to host the Olympic Games this summer, officials are converting the city’s landmarks into sports facilities. Their goal is to reduce carbon emissions to half the level of previous games, so they are only building a few facilities. This is what you should keep in mind.

① The power of the Eiffel Tower

A temporary open-air stadium in front of the Eiffel Tower will host beach volleyball as well as soccer for the blind at the Paralympic Games, while judo and wrestling events will be held in an indoor stadium nearby. The Eiffel Tower will also serve as the backdrop for the end of the opening ceremony.

② A Seine where you can swim

The swimming and triathlon marathon, one of the most important events for French officials, will be held on the Seine. The challenge is to make the river safe enough: Swimming has been banned since 1923, and pollution in the canal was so serious that authorities considered covering it up and possibly using it as a parking lot, according to Jean-Marie Mouchel, a researcher at the University from the Sorbonne that studies the quality of the water of the Seine. The cleanup has come a long way since then, but recently it had some hiccups: Races scheduled for last summer were canceled due to heavy rain and a faulty sewer valve. If the plan is successful at this year’s games, marathon swim viewers will see Germany’s Florian Wellbrock defend his 2021 gold in the historic river, as well as chase a medal from rising American star Katie Grimes.

③ The debut

Breakdancing will make its Olympic debut at the Place de la Concordethe vast expanse of cobblestones where Marie Antoinette was executed by guillotine in 1793. Competitors in “breakdancing,” as the sport is officially called by the International Olympic Committee, will compete individually with six steps and other feats of strength.

④ Notre Dame virtual

What sports fans won’t see is the city’s most beloved church, whose wooden roof and spire were destroyed in a major fire in 2019. Notre-Dame de Paris, undergoing a $900 million restoration, will remain closed and partially covered by scaffolding. Visitors will be able to see a virtual reality exhibition and a photo exhibition in front of the cathedral about the reconstruction project, now open.

Mexicans at the Olympics

● Athletics

Citlali Cristian Moscote, Marathon

Alegna González, March

José Luis Doctor, March

Andrés Olivas, March

Laura Galván, 5 thousand meters

Margarita Hernández, Marathon

Noel Chama, Marcha

● Boxing

Marco Verde, 71 kg

Miguel Ángel Martínez, 63.5 kg

● Nailed

Randal Willars and Kevin Berlin

Osmar Olvera and Rodrigo López

Randal Willars

Alejandra Orozco and Gabriela Agúndez

● Cycling

Gerardo Ulloa

● Artistic gymnastics

Alexa Moreno

Ahtziri Sandoval

● Mexican Rhythmic Gymnastics Team

Adirem Tejeda, Kimberly Salazar, Sofía Flores, Julia Gutiérrez and Dalia Alcocer

● Swimming

Miguel de Lara

● Artistic Swimming

Nuria Diosdado and Joana Jiménez

● Modern Pentathlon

Mayan Oliver

Duilio Carrillo

Emiliano Hernandez

● Remo

Alexis Lopez

Miguel Carballo

● Surf

Alan Cleland

● Taekwondo

Daniela Souza

Carlos Sansores

● Archery

Aída Román, Alejandra Valencia and Ángela Ruiz

Matias Grande

● Sports shooting

Gabriela Rodriguez

Edson Ramirez

Alejandra Zavala

Carlos Quezada

● Triathlon

Rosa María Tapia Vidal

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