Porte de La Chapelle Arena, one of only two new permanent venues being developed for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, is facing delivery delays.
The venue, which will host badminton and rhythmic gymnastics during the Olympics and Para badminton and Para powerlifting during the Paralympics, was originally due to open in the summer of 2023. However, completion has now been pushed back to December 2023, with opening pencilled in for January 2024.
The delay is not regarded as “major”, Pierre Rabadan, the Deputy Mayor of Paris who holds a remit overseeing Paris 2024, told Le Parisien. He said delays were due to the war in Ukraine and inflation.
Olympic facilities delivery company, Solidéo, added to the actu Paris website: “This schedule is perfectly compatible with the requirements of the Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and its taking possession of the site.”
In July, German sportswear and equipment manufacturer adidas formally concluded its first venue naming rights partnership for the new arena being developed at Porte de la Chapelle in Paris.
Adidas signed the deal, an initial five-year contract, renewable for a further seven years, with SAE POPB, the operating company which also manages Paris’ Accor Arena and Bataclan venues.
With a capacity of 8,000, the adidas Arena will host concerts and sporting events throughout the year and will be the new home of domestic top-tier team Paris Basketball, following the Games.
Beyond the Arena and directly connected to it, the complex will include a living space covering more than 3,000m² which will host hospitality, sports and entertainment events, and the likes of pop-up stores, open to all throughout the year.
In May 2020, French industrial group Bouygues landed its second major contract in the space of a month for the 2024 Games, with the City of Paris announcing that it would lead a consortium to develop adidas Arena.
Bouygues Bâtiment Île-de-France is heading up the design, construction and technical operation of the venue, alongside architectural companies SCAU and NP2F.
The contract was awarded by the City of Paris, which stated the selected project was ranked in first position because of its architectural, landscape, functional and environmental qualities as well as its commitments in terms of energy efficiency and the quality of its maintenance program, with the arena designed to have an initial operating life of over 10 years.
