Protesting the Paris 2024 Test Event

Not every Olympic sport has a test event in advance of the Games, but Sailing is not like every Olympic sport. This pop-up regatta, organized by World Sailing, brings together equipment and people from around the world, and while the sailors benefit from the experience, the race administrators gain more.

The test event for Paris 2024 is being held July 9-16 for 341 at the Marseille Marina seeks to reproduce the same conditions as the Games in 2024. “The goal is to test all organizational procedures as well as sporting aspects, security on the water and technical and technological installations,” explains Cédric Dufoy, Senior Cluster Manager at Paris 2024.

This test event is also the perfect moment to check how volunteers will work during the Games, while also providing the people of Marseille a preview of what lies ahead. However, not all the locals are happy.

The test event has required a perimeter exclusion zone to be established, and members of the Nageurs du Prado Collective group staged a protest on July 8 against the plans for staging sailing during Paris 2024.

The group claims the plans for Paris 2024 has required some beaches in Marseille to be closed to allow competition to be staged, and has claimed the closure of Marseille’s southern harbor for all water-based activities during the test event and Paris 2024 is “an excessive undertaking”.

Cédric Dufoix, the senior manager for Paris 2024 site in Marseille, defended the sailing plans for the Games. “Organizing the Olympics in Marseille means having to squeeze in a little for a few days.” – Full report

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Program:
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFx
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFoil
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFoil
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Venue: Marseille, France
Dates: July 26-August 11

Details: https://www.paris2024.org/en/the-olympic-games-paris-2024/