An ideal body of water
Located north of the Prado seaside park and commissioned in the 1970s, the Roucas Blanc nautical stadium is a well-known spot for regatta sailors. Numerous light sailing events have been organised there and the Olympic training centre is installed there all year round.
The Olympic site will be composed of several zones:
- the Roucas-Blanc marina, the starting point for the boats
- the Olympic Village will be set up on the Prado lawns
- a temporary spectator tribune will be set up on the Corniche for the duration of the events
- a "live sit" will be installed on the Mucem esplanade, near the Old Port
An Olympic Arena
The Roucas Blanc needs to be adapted to the hosting measures for a competition of this magnitude. The programme calls for the construction of around 8,000 m² of buildings and the redevelopment of 22,000 m² of outdoor areas. Competing against three other projects, the Carta-Rougerie firm was selected to build the new buildings. The result is a rather discreet project, well integrated into the existing area between the mineral cliffs of the Kennedy cornice and the Prado gardens.
Jacques Rougerie has also been chosen to design the future Olympic aquatic centre in Val Parisis where swimmers will train during the Paris-2024 Olympic Games.
The Roucas Blanc construction site must be completed by 2023, for the test events which must take place there one year before the start of the events. In view of the land pressure in this district of Marseille, this project will be part of a sustainable approach, and will still be used after the Olympic Games.
In addition, the Martigues Sailing Centre has obtained the "Terre de Jeux" label, and should welcome delegations of racers wishing to train in the region.
Several aspects remain to be defined
The marina project amounts to approximately 25 million euros, financed by the City, the State and the local authorities, but the distribution of the expenditure has not yet been agreed between the different actors.
On the other hand, the programme of sailing events has still not been defined. The entry of ocean racing as an Olympic event is to be decided by the IOC, which will meet in Switzerland at the beginning of December. As a reminder, this event is to be raced on a one-design keelboat by a double and mixed crew.
