In a city like Paris, resplendent architecture is as plentiful as the layers of a mille-feuille. Lucky for the 2024 Olympic Games, then, that the “sports venues” for dozens of its events just so happen to be some of the world’s most glamorous locales, including the Grand Palais, Pont Alexandre III, the Esplanade des Invalides.
Could there have been a more fitting locale for the dressage competitions as the gardens at the Palace of Versailles? (We think not!) After all, the art of dressage is not unlike a ballet of a horse and its rider, and Louis XIV (for which the Château de Versailles was built in 1682) was a well-documented fan of ballet.
While there were some remarkable new structures commissioned for the purpose of the Olympics (just one, the Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue, will live on past the Closing Ceremony), the most noteworthy locales are those that are quintessentially Parisian.
A look at the most historic landmarks hosting events at the 2024 Olympic Games, below.
A view of the gardens at the Palace of VersaillesPhoto: Getty Images
Palace of Versailles
Equestrian, Modern Pentathlon
While no sports will take place inside the Palace of Versailles, across the sprawling André Le Nôtre-designed gardens in the Etoile Royale esplanade (located to the west of the Grand Canal), a temporary outdoor arena and spectator stands have been erected. There, two eventing disciplines (dressage test and jumping) and jumping and dressage competitions (Olympic and Paralympic) will be held.
Elsewhere on the grounds, the modern pentathlon races, the individual and team eventing cross-country section, and five modern pentathlon events will be hosted.