Historic Versailles prepped to host equestrian events

Preparations are underway for the gardens of the Versailles Palace to welcome Olympic horse riders and tens of thousands of visitors when it hosts equestrian and modern pentathlon events during this summer’s Paris Games.

Temporary facilities including grandstands are being built across the park, where up to 40,000 people are expected to attend the cross-country part of the event.

The main arena will hold over 16,000 seated spectators for the dressage and showjumping competitions. Located at one end of the Grand Canal, the largest basin in the park, it will offer a spectacular view of the palace, once home to Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette.

“It’s a real opportunity to be able to organize such an event in such an amazing and iconic venue. We feel very honored and respectful,” said Anne Murac, who is in charge of the Versailles site for the Paris 2024 organizing committee.

On the western side of the park, temporary stables, with air conditioning, remain to be built. A nearby track with both grass and sand surfaces has already been set up to allow horses to warm up before the competition.

In addition, the 5-kilometer (3-mile) cross-country path is being carefully prepared, Murac said.

“We are working the ground very deeply to put some sand and drainage to make sure the cross-country track will be consistent and to be able to guarantee the safety of the horses and the riders,” she said.

Pontoon bridges, tested last summer, will enable horses to cross the Grand Canal during the cross-country competition.

AP A couple jogs past stands Friday that are being built in the park of the Chateau de Versailles. The site will be the venue for equestrian sports this summer at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The Chateau de Versailles is seen in background.