Which venue from Paris 1924 will be reused to host hockey at the Paris Olympics 2024?
The iconic Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in Colombes, Paris, is all set to make history once again as it prepares to host the hockey competitions at the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024. This will be the second time the stadium will be hosting an Olympic event, exactly 100 years after it hosted the 1924 Summer Olympics.
During the 1924 Paris Games, the stadium was the main arena for the eighth Olympiad, hosting the Opening Ceremony and the athletics events. Over the past century, the stadium has played host to numerous national and international events, including athletics, rugby, football, and boxing. One of them was the Boxing World Championship in 1972, which saw a crowd of 40,000 spectators.
Fast forward to 2024, the stadium has undergone a significant transformation, with a €90 million renovation that has preserved its historic legacy while providing state-of-the-art facilities. The revamp includes two synthetic field hockey pitches, one with a seating capacity of 1,000 spectators, and the redevelopment of the main pitch's 6,000-capacity spectator stands, with temporary stands to be installed for the Games.
The €90 million project, undertaken by the Department of Hauts-de-Seine, will not only provide a world-class facility for the Olympic hockey competitions but also serve as a hub for the French Hockey Federation, the Ile-de-France League, and the Departmental Hockey Committee.
India’s history in hockey at the Olympics
Indian men’s hockey team has a rich history at the Summer Olympics, having won eight gold, one silver and three bronze medals, which makes them the most successful team in the world. In Tokyo 2020, they clinched a bronze medal to break a 41-year drought of medals at the Olympics.
Meanwhile, the women’s hockey team has been a part of just three Olympic Games. They finished fourth in the 1980 Summer Olympics and then qualified directly for the 2016 Rio Games, where they lost in the group stages. In Tokyo 2020, they managed to reach the semis but had to settle for a fourth-place finish.
Unfortunately, the women’s hockey team failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024. However, the onus will be on the men’s team to revive India’s golden run in hockey at the Summer Olympics and show why they are the best.