The Aquatics Centre is one of very few, along with the Le Bourget Climbing Wall and The Porte de la Chapelle Arena, permanent sports facilities built specifically for the Paris 2024 Games. As it is preparing to welcome the world’s greatest athletes for the artistic swimming, water polo, and diving events, it was designed to continue serving the community of Seine-Saint-Denis even after the Games are over.
Made out of low-carbon all the building materials will be bio-based, making the Aquatics Centre an eco-friendly venue. Its timber structure and roof frame were designed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding greenery. With a 5,000 sqm roof covered with photovoltaic panels, it is to become one of France’s largest urban solar farms supplying all the energy that the center needs.
The Aquatics Centre will connect to the neighboring Stade de France over a footbridge spanning the A1 motorway and is a meaningful public investment for Seine Saint Denis with its lack of sports facilities. Its novel configuration will be modular: it will be able to switch from a 5,000-seat venue during the Games to a 2,500-seat facility to host neighborhood events afterward.
From swimming lessons to recreational use and high-level competitions, the Aquatics Centre will be multifunctional. It will open its doors to all in July 2025 and will become a vast multi-sports facility with two pools (50m and 25m), a fitness area, a bouldering area, a paddle tennis section, and pitches for team sports. It will also have an adjustable floor to serve a variety of purposes, such as swimming lessons for babies and children.
The Aquatics Centre will also be the state-of-the-art facility that the French swimming community has been waiting for. The French Swimming Federation will be able to host national and international competitions in its four indoor disciplines. The Centre will also provide a best-in-class federal training facility for leading French athletes and will notably be home to the country’s diving center.
