Paris, May 31 (FN Agency) The construction of the sport climbing venue for the upcoming Paris Olympic Games in Le Bourget is nearly complete, as organizers unveiled one of the three newly-built Olympic venues to the press. A temporary 15-meter-high outdoor wall has been erected in the new Parc des Sports du Bourget, located in the northeastern suburb of Paris, and the assembly of the temporary spectator stands is almost complete, the organizers said on Friday. The climbing wall, featuring the main color scheme of this year’s Olympics with a gradient of green and pink borders, is equipped with a canopy to protect it from direct sunlight and rain. The temporary spectator stands have 3,000 seats and 3,000 standing places. After the competition, these structures will be dismantled, and the climbing panels will be reassembled at other locations across France for continued use. “Our ticket sales have been very successful. All our tickets are sold out, and 36,000 people will watch the competition during the event,” said Vincent Causse, the head of the climbing venue.
This will be the second appearance of climbing in the Olympics, following its debut in the Tokyo Olympics. Unlike the Tokyo Olympics, which only featured the combined event (bouldering, lead, and speed), the Paris Olympics will introduce speed climbing as a separate event. There will be two sub-events: the combined (bouldering and lead) and speed climbing, with a total of four gold medals to be awarded for men and women. Near the competition site, a new gymnasium has been built for athletes to use during the Games. This gymnasium is named the Marie-Paradis Gymnasium, in honor of Marie Paradis, the first woman to climb Mont Blanc. After the Games, this facility will be handed over to the local government as a legacy of the Paris Olympics. “The gymnasium where athletes will train will be a legacy of these Olympics. This is a facility our town could not afford on its own, and the Olympics provide a fantastic opportunity to bring the sport of climbing to this city. After the Games, the gymnasium will welcome its first registered members for climbing,” said Jean-Baptiste Borsali, the mayor of Le Bourget. The climbing events of the Paris Olympics will take place from August 5 to 10.