Dismantling of most Paris Olympic sites to last until end of October

Some dismantling began during the night of July 26-27 after the unprecedented opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on the Seine. Furniture, cables, lighting, stands... "we are dismantling the opposite of what we put up," explained the manager.

Some sites such as the mountain bike park in Elancourt, the golf course in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, or the Lille stadium which hosted basketball and handball have already been restored to their original condition.

In the centre of Paris, "this is spread over September and October". Christophe Rosa, deputy general delegate for the Olympic Games at Paris City Hall, explained that a "refurbishment phase" followed the exit inventory, such as putting up the street lights on the Place de la Concorde or reseeding the grass at Trocadéro. For the moment, "no bad surprises", he said.

At the Concorde, which hosted the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games after the Olympic urban sports, "by the beginning of October we will have removed our installations on the western half" and the eastern part "will be dismantled by the end of October", specified Edouard Donnelly.

The Alexandre III bridge "will be vacated by the end of September". In Versailles, however, on the Olympic equestrian site, the restoration work will last until "spring and summer 2025". After the Paralympic Games close on Sunday, the Stade de France will be ready for the Mylen Farmer concert on September 27.

Asked when the Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower will be dismantled and could be replaced by a lighter version, Mr Rosa said that this is "being agreed with the IOC and ArcelorMittal".

The new executive director of Solideo (Olympic Works Delivery Company), Yann Krysinski, recalled that the Olympic village will welcome its first residents "at the end of 2025". The middle school students from Dora Maar college located opposite the village will be able to return to their premises "next week", he also specified.

The first residents of the media village in Dugny (Seine-Saint-Denis) will arrive "in the first quarter of 2025". Construction of the 500 homes in the second phase of this village "will start in 2025" for delivery in 2027.

As for the Olympic Games organizing committee, which grew to over 4.000 employees during the summer, a first wave of 1.500 to 2.000 people is about to leave, and the keys to the Saint-Denis headquarters will be handed over "at the end of September" to a more confidential headquarters located in the 18th arrondissement of Paris.