(Saint-Denis) One month before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the sporting and festive atmosphere is struggling to win over Saint-Denis (Seine–Saint-Denis), which concentrates two competition sites, the spirits being especially concerned about the subject of transport.
On the square which extends in front of the basilica, in the city center, the sports competition tries to remember the good memories of passers-by: on the front of the town hall, a large banner “Let’s share the games in Saint-Denis” gives the tone. But the residents encountered at the site seem quite impervious to the events which will begin on July 26.
“I don’t really care,” breathes Bessalem, 50, shopping bags in hand, crossing the square. The man does not have tickets for the Games and will not attend the competitions which will take place in the city – water polo, artistic swimming and diving at the recently inaugurated aquatic center, athletics and rugby sevens at the Stade de France. “Those who work, they will struggle,” adds the man, currently unemployed.
The Dionysians, spectators for several years of the preparation work for the Games, are now divided into two categories: those who will be on vacation during the competition, like Zina, a 50-year-old artist seated on the terrace of a café, and the others, concerned about the influx of tourists.
Lola Niole, a 24-year-old nurse, is one of the latter and is concerned about the smooth functioning of public transport to get to her workplace in Paris. “If you have to wait 15-20 minutes to get a metro, when it’s already often overcrowded, it’s going to be even more painful,” she says.
Sitting on a bench in the sun, Hicham Bennady is hardly more excited and fears the congestion of the A86 which he takes every day. “We don’t feel like the Olympics,” adds the 42-year-old, who works in aeronautics. “There’s a lack of events, entertainment, […] I don’t have the impression that they planned to involve the population.”
Less than two kilometers away, near the Olympic sites, Farid Kerraouche, 53, is one of the few to let himself be overcome by a certain impatience, as he returns to the neighboring town of Aubervilliers, after his day of work. “Personally, I have never attended an event like that,” he confides, hoping to be able to “see athletes” and attend the concerts organized at Georges-Valbon Park, located between La Courneuve, Saint-Denis and Trois-Rivières. other municipalities in the department.
Mickaël Sekkaï, 33, is not in the mood for the festivities, “with everything that is happening in politics”, and will follow the events “from afar”, from his vacation spot.
As for the legacy of the Olympic Games in Seine–Saint-Denis, a promise from the organizers, he will only believe in it if the infrastructure can benefit “the most disadvantaged”.
Shaïma Kotrane, a 24-year-old childcare assistant, who also chose to go on vacation before July 26, concedes that in Saint-Denis, “things have improved a little in terms of cleanliness.” But she says she is waiting to see if this trend continues over time.
Only restaurateurs seem to be unanimously waiting for this date, in the hope of seeing the number of customers increase in step with the flow of tourists. “We are ready,” assures the manager of the Les Arts café, Hafid Boumeziren, who has already recruited two additional servers for the period.
There is similar enthusiasm at the Le Khédive bar-restaurant, ideally located opposite the town hall and the basilica and whose terrace has obtained an extension permit for the period. “No holidays this year,” proclaims its boss Sid Ould-Moussa, “we are motivated to welcome the whole world.”
