“Many friends are discovered when you come to this type of event,” said Michel Cadot, interministerial delegate to the Games. The problem of housing for volunteers, who will be mobilized during the Olympic and Paralympic Games (JOG) this summer, was discussed with senators on January 17th. Cadot assured that “most of them will not pay for their accommodation but will find it through connections.”
The 45,000 volunteers selected by the Games Organizing Committee (Cojop) will not be paid and will be responsible for the transportation and accommodation costs associated with their presence at the event. Cojop does not offer them housing options, and prices for hotels and Airbnb rentals are expected to soar during this period.
“There are constraints in accommodation costs, it’s a reality, I do not deny it,” said Mr. Cadot during his hearing by the Senate’s Committee on Culture, Education, Communication and Sport. “But, he added, for the volunteers, it was posed from the start and accepted by them, with the desire to participate in something that is priceless for them. They knew they would neither be paid nor housed, apart from a few thousand of them.”
According to the interministerial delegate, “people find solutions.” “We remember that we were with a particular student,” explaining, while citing the example of emergency doctors: “There are networks.” He did acknowledge that “not everyone has family or friends in the Paris area,” noted Senator Michel Savin (The Republicans).
The pressure on accommodation prices has also influenced ticket holders who are contemplating reselling their tickets. Mr. Cadot said that “solutions can be found,” despite acknowledging that high demand causes tension and that the Airbnb or hotel system cannot be completely controlled.
Referring to his own experience attending the 2004 Athens Games to watch the rowing event in which his son was involved, the interministerial delegate noted that they stayed in a three-hour drive camping area. He believed that for this summer’s Paris Games, the option may not necessarily be to stay “in hotels, not necessarily in Paris.”
In preparation for the upcoming 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the government will need to address these transportation, housing, and accommodation challenges to ensure the successful and comfortable experience for all participants involved.
