• The City of Paris, equipped with the oldest metro in the world, will have to ensure accessibility to Olympic venues for all during the 2024 Games.
  • Shuttles from the various Parisian stations are provided for wheelchair users. Parking lots and drop-off points will be placed near the sites.
  • If every detail seems to have been studied by the organizing committee, the APF France Handicap is closely following the file and waiting for solutions as soon as possible to allow everyone to enjoy the competitions.

Games "to include", Games "exemplary in terms of universal accessibility". This was the promise made during the presentation of the Paris 2024 project, and a colossal project to carry out because the City of Paris is far from exemplary in this area. Taking the subway with a stroller is already complicated, but for a person with reduced mobility, it is science fiction.

The elevators can be counted on the fingers of one hand: only metro line 14 is equipped. The APF France handicap has mobilized several times in recent years to denounce this lack of accessibility. Already in 2018, activists denounced the fact that only nine stations out of the 303 at the time were adapted. Today, there are thirteen, or all of line 14. It is expected that there will be seven more by 2025.

Transport "not adapted" for people with reduced mobility as it stands

"For Paris 2024, there will be no specific improvement on this accessibility at the metro level," says Laurent Probst, CEO of Île-de-France Mobilités. But then how to get to the 24 Olympic venues located in the region? "We must not forget that all our RER, 539 bus lines, and a third of the trams are accessible for people with reduced mobility," he replies.

However, these modes of transport have significant limitations, according to Patrice Tripoteau, APF's deputy general manager France disability. "There are two wheelchair spaces per bus, it's nothing for an Olympic device," he notes. And then, the arrival stations of public transport are not very close to the Olympic sites. It would therefore be necessary to travel, sometimes a kilometer, among the crowd, with the strength of the arms to move the chair forward? About 350,000 people with disabilities will come from all over the world. They cannot be left behind.

"The idea is not to focus on transportation for people in wheelchairs, but on shuttles that we will set up," says the director general of Île-de-France Mobilités, which works in collaboration with the organizing committee of the Games. When purchasing a place for a person with a disability, he will be offered to book a shuttle. They will depart from all Parisian stations to reach all Olympic sites. "The drop-off will be made as close as possible to the site, almost as for VIPs," continues Laurent Probst. The price is not yet fixed, but it should not exceed that of a public transport ticket.

People with reduced mobility treated like VIPs?

Patrice Tripoteau says he is completely in favor of this device, "but it will not be enough". For example, "people who come from Belgium or the east will rather come by car in order to avoid the constraints of the train for people with reduced mobility," he notes. In this case, the shuttle is not an option. But then what about car parks? "Sometimes we are told about a distance of one kilometre from the entrance to the Olympic site." The problem then comes back to the same as when using public transport.

"There will be a drop-off system for people with reduced mobility, right in front of the site. Accompanying him and then going to park the car before joining his loved one," explains Ludivine Munos, head of Paralympic integration and accessibility at Paris 2024, and former Paralympic swimming champion. The organizing committee seems to have answers to everything about accessibility. But for associations, these solutions will not be enough to satisfy all the people who need them.

For Patrice Tripoteau, we must remain vigilant: "We are in the final straight. In six months' time it will be too late if the proposals are not good. This is why the APF France handicap holds a series of meetings with ministers and the organizing committee. "All our interlocutors had in mind the problems we raised, now they are actively looking for solutions," notes the deputy director general of APF.

The reputation of France at stake

"For the entire organization, we approach the Games through the eyes of a person with a disability," says Ludivine Munos. For example, seats in stadiums have been moved or raised so that people in wheelchairs can have visibility even if spectators in front stand up. However, for Collectif Handicaps, the number of dedicated places is very limited. The poles to prevent cars from parking around the stadiums are colored so that a visually impaired person can clearly distinguish it. The events and ceremonies will be in audio descriptions.

"For all the highlights such as the opening and closing ceremonies, the accessibility system will be the same as for the Olympic events," says the former swimming champion. Ditto for the Olympic Village which will be located between Saint-Ouen and Saint-Denis. No steps, but ramps, sufficiently low grips, buttons of distinguishable color... Everything seems to be planned, but everything still needs to be done in time.

"People around the world are going to have a look at the France. It is the image of the country that risks taking a hit if there is not a very special effort, "says Patrice Tripoteau. Wheelchair tennis champion Charlotte Fairbank believes that for now what is being put in place "is not enough at all". "We are fighting to have as many accessible stations as possible, but the facilities are so old that it is almost impossible. When I travel to London or Barcelona, I see that in Paris, we are quite late. So we hope that with the Games in 2024, the city will be more accessible, "she explained to 20 Minutes a few weeks ago during a show on Twitch.

our file Olympics 2024

The will of the Organising Committee is not only inclusiveness over the duration of the Games. As emphasized since the award, the legacy left is an important notion. In conjunction with the Cojo, the City has committed through an action plan to "optimize the legacy of the Games for people with disabilities". This plan includes making Paris accessible and accelerating the participation of these people "in the life of the city".

"The performances of Paralympic athletes are a unique opportunity to shine a spotlight on the skills of people with disabilities," says the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Legacy and Sustainability Plan. To accompany this movement, accessibility is a central issue. From this point of view, will Paris 2024 be up to London in 2012, which is unanimously a reference in this area?

  • Paris 2024 Olympics
  • Olympic Games
  • Sport
  • Handicap