25 April 2024

Summer Olympics Paris 2024

Exactly 100 years after the Olympics were held in Paris, the Olympics are returning to the city of the Eiffel Tower. From 26 July to 11 August, 10,000 athletes will come to Paris for the biggest sports event in the world: the Olympic Games. The 2024 Summer Olympics will mainly take place in and around Paris. As much as 80% of all competition venues take place within a 10 km radius of the Olympic and Paralympic Village. The Olympic Village is the real epicentre of the Olympics and is located just under 7 km north of the centre of Paris. Furthermore, there are other cities where competitions are also held. The millions of spectators and thousands of athletes of the Olympic and Paralympic Games will have a major impact not only on the daily lives of Île-de-France residents, but also on the supply of goods to the Paris region. Two types of distribution challenges were specifically highlighted:

Major delays are expected throughout the Paris region due to:
o    reserved lanes (180 km reserved for athletes and Olympic staff);
o    increased number of travellers and shipments;
o    restricted access to specific areas (need to bypass entire districts);
o    controls by French government agencies.


In several areas, regular vehicles will be restricted or even banned. Alternative means must be found for this:
o    'Blue zones' around Olympic sites: access only allowed with proof such as the delivery note;
o    'Red zones', closest to the Olympic sites: access prohibited to any motor vehicle unless dispensation.

These zones will change from day to day based on the event schedule. During these road closures and logistical challenges, we offer various solutions to still supply your customers in these areas. For instance, through our agent, we use special bicycle couriers, among others. This type of delivery obviously has financial consequences. We will be happy to tell you more about the financial consequences surrounding the Olympic Games later.

The Olympic Games will be held from Friday 26 July to Sunday 11 August 2024, followed by the Paralympic Games from 28 August to 8 September 2024. The logistical impact of the Olympic and Paralympic Games extends over a much wider period than just the duration of the actual events. Traffic disruption has manifested itself since March and will cause inconvenience until October. Throughout this period, we kindly ask you to bear in mind when booking your shipment that the unloading or loading address in Paris may be closed or difficult to deliver. Please communicate this information clearly when booking your shipment.

We hope for your understanding and if you have any questions please contact your contact person or our customer service team via customerservice.shb@mainfreight.com / +31 (0)314 671 111.