Aussie Olympians cannot believe it when they learn about a VERY surprising detail about the athletics track for the Paris Games
- The Olympic track is painted purple for Paris
- Australian athletes were stunned by the unusual choice of colour
- The color will help to highlight the athletes participating
Australian athletes have been shocked by the unusual colour of the track for the Paris Olympics.
The 2024 Games begin in Paris on Wednesday and Thursday, with the official opening ceremony taking place on Friday.
The Stade de France, where many athletics events take place, will have a purple athletics track for the first time during the Olympic Games.
The unusual colour, which has never been used for a track before, surprised several Australian athletes when they heard about it in a recent video.
“I hadn’t heard that the track in Paris was going to be purple,” hurdler Michelle Jenneke said in a clip posted by the Australian Olympic team.
“That’s pretty cool. I’ve never driven on a purple track before, so I can’t wait.”
Middle-distance runner Peter Bol was also surprised by the news.
“That’s the first time I’ve heard that,” he smiled.
The purple track for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games has been unveiled ahead of this week’s opening ceremony
Australian athletes Michelle Jenneke and Peter Bol were astonished when they heard about the unusual colour chosen for the track
“You know, no matter what color, you still have to run 800 meters.”
Teen star Claudia Hollingsworth said she was eager to give it a try.
“That’s so exciting, I can’t wait,” she laughed.
Alain Blondel, sports manager and responsible for athletics at the Paris Games, explained why the city chose the color purple for the athletics track. This color, unlike the Games, will not be seen during the opening ceremony, which will take place around the River Seine.
“The most important part of the brief was to come up with a course that was different from what we had seen before, to maintain the creative approach that the organising committee has taken since its inception and to think a little bit outside the box,” he explained.
‘The look of the Games includes three colours for all competition venues: blue, green and purple. We chose this purple track with different shades: lighter for the track, darker for the service areas and grey for the bends at the end of the bend, reminiscent of the ash-coloured tracks that were there 100 years ago for the 1924 Paris Olympics.’
The purple color was also chosen because it would highlight the participants.
“We had to work hard on the colours to make sure they would look as good as possible and showcase the athletes,” he said.
‘It’s a track, it has to be beautiful, but above all it’s a stage on which the athletes perform.
“The most important thing is that the colours and the athletes stand out.”