Macron explains Mbappé’s presence at the Elysée and comments on the presence of Russian athletes at the Olympics

“If it was a dinner to try to retain him? No, not at all. There was no discussion about it and I leave it to the club leaders to do that. It was normal that he was there, a great champion who helped to animate the final of the French team which was held in Qatar. And PSG taking into account its shareholding… that’s still seven seasons at PSG! I think that all the French admire this great player but there was no discussion.”

Emmanuel Macron on the presence of Russian athletes: “Security is another obsession from the start, which mobilizes everyone. We have a colossal job which will be detailed by the prefects. All the players are mobilized and we will be there you. The International Olympic Committee defines the rules of engagement. I think they are proportionate. I think that sport must allow unity and appeasement. The choice that has been made, we will assume collectively. We “We support Ukraine, we have sanctioned Russia. Athletes under neutral banners, with conditions of respect and sobriety, must be able to defend their work and their sport.”

“For Israelis? It’s the same thing.”

Emmanuel Macron speaks about the Olympic site: “It is an essential stage of these Olympic and Paralympic Games. When we all won this competition in 2017, the project carried out was to produce exemplary Games which would allow us to create a legacy, exemplary in terms of social and environmental by keeping a budget. The keys to the Olympic village were handed over to Tony Estanguet, it is the demonstration that we are meeting the commitments that have been made. It is the demonstration that France is a country of builders, as we complete the Notre-Dame project. Despite Covid, inflation or the war in Ukraine, all the teams have done an extraordinary job. This is the largest development project in France and it was done in record time. It was done in exemplary social conditions. On this site, there were four times fewer accidents than on other sites in France. It was done in conditions exceptional in terms of materials and organization. The housing that has been built is ready for the climatic conditions of 2050 without air conditioning, which is exemplary.”

Emmanuel Macron has the architectural project explained to him and especially its sustainable implementation: the Olympic village will be transformed, after the Games, into a real neighborhood.

The President of the Republic greets the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, Anne Hidalgo, Valérie Pécresse and the elected officials present, as well as Tony Estanguet.

Emmanuel Macron will arrive in a few minutes at the Olympic Village. The Head of State will first stroll along the banks of the Seine before meeting with the workers and project managers who worked on the site. Then he will attend the handing over of the keys to the solido at Cojo. There will be no “ribbon cutting”.

N.Pelletier

We take you to discover the village

In less than five months, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will open. As the deadline approaches, the Olympic village is being unveiled right on time. This Thursday, the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron will inaugurate the site, located in Seine-Saint-Denis, with a visit and discussions planned on site with workers and companions mobilized on the site.

The village will welcome athletes from the 206 Olympic delegations and then the 184 Paralympic delegations this summer. From 2025, a reconversion of the site is planned to provide housing for 6,000 people.

Accessible to people with reduced mobility, the current residences include 3,000 apartments equipped with one to four bedrooms each capable of accommodating between two and eight athletes in “Olympic village” mode. The complex will also host training sites for seven Olympic and Paralympic disciplines (weightlifting, modern pentathlon, fencing, wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, etc.).