January 18, (THEWILL) – Nicolas Ferrand, the CEO of Solideo, the company responsible for building the infrastructure for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics in Paris, has promised that most of the required work will be completed by the end of the year.
However, he warned that costs are expected to rise by an additional €150 million due to inflation, the war in Ukraine and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, Ferrand stated that they are “absolutely on schedule, within the costs and the ambitions of the Olympic works.”
Concerns have been raised over delays to one of the new venues, the Porte de La Chapelle Arena, which is set to host badminton and rhythmic gymnastics during the Olympics and Para badminton and powerlifting at the Paralympics.
Ferrand attributed the delays to the war in Ukraine but expects the venue to be completed by the end of the year. Additionally, there have been concerns over a lack of air conditioning in rooms at the Athletes’ Village in Saint-Denis.
He defended the move, stating that it would reduce the environmental impact of the Games, asking, “Do we collectively accept being at six degrees less and having an excellent carbon footprint, or do we say it’s not okay, and we’re ready to downgrade the carbon footprint?”
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
