The Gulf country had asked the French government for the possibility of installing its “Olympic village” for four months in this central location of the capital.
Published on March 26, 2024 at 12:32.
The Saudi Arabian “Olympic village” will not be set up this summer at Les Invalides during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. France has decided that Saudi Arabia will not be hosting its athletes in this central location of the capital, as confirmed by the Ministry of the Armed Forces on Tuesday, March 26, following a report by Europe 1.
Initially, Saudi Arabia had requested the French government for permission to have its athletes stay at Les Invalides instead of the official Olympic village inaugurated in late February spanning three communes – Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen, and l’Ile-Saint-Denis. France then imposed conditions for the Gulf country to settle in this location, which houses the National Institution of Invalids in the 7th arrondissement.
“There was a request made by the Saudis which the French authorities responded to by providing a series of guarantees. For now, there is no further update on this,” stated Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra on RTL at the beginning of March.
A part of the opposition had criticized the project. LR deputy Nathalie Serre of Rhône had sought clarification from the government in late February about the Saudi Arabian “Olympic village” project at Les Invalides. “Saudi Arabia, despite being our ally, raises questions about human rights, especially those of women and the LGBT community,” alerted the parliamentarian.
Following Paris’s refusal, the question of accommodating the few dozen Saudi athletes during the Olympic (July 26-August 11) and Paralympic (August 28-September 8) Games remains unresolved.
