Paris suburbs residents express mixed feelings about Olympic Games
Residents of Parisian suburbs are expressing mixed feelings about the Olympic Games – describing a disconnect between their lives the event itself.
Many of the Olympic Games’ events are held in the suburbs of the French capital.
Sports competitions are held at five suburban locations, including the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
Eleven additional training sites are located across Paris’ suburbs, as well as the Olympic headquarters and village.
Some Paris residents live next to the venues but are rarely actually able to attend the competitions.
“Many residents cannot afford tickets for the games. We want to prevent frustrations about that. Here they can really experience the games,” said Tremblay-en-France municipal councillor Michel Bodard, whose municipality built a fan zone.
Sports activities are organised at these fan zones, and residents of local suburbs can watch the games live on large screens for free.
However, there are also protests. In Saint-Denis, a special citizen’s committee has protested several times against construction work for the Olympic Games.
For example, a new road was built in the city that also serves as an entrance to the A86 motorway. The buses to the Olympic Village drive back and forth there. After the Games, regular traffic will also use the road.
The new road is right next to two schools. These schools educate children aged 3 to 12 and are now completely wedged between roads and motorways.
Hamid Ouidir lives in Saint-Denis and is a member of the local citizens' committee.
“Various organisations have calculated that exhaust fumes pose a risk to the health of children", Ouidir says.
He is also critical of the Olympic Village, which is only a few hundred metres away.
A few thousand apartments currently housing athletes will soon become available for the local housing market.
This was originally supposed to be a ‘legacy’ of the Games: new homes for residents. However, this may not be the case.
“It was promised that 40% would become social housing in Saint-Denis,” Ouidir says, “That has been reduced to 20%. 80% will be owner-occupied, with prices that are extremely high. For the residents here, that is unaffordable.”
