Seine-Saint-Denis: For 15-year-old Enda Fofana, living in Seine-Saint-Denis, the years of construction on the nearby Olympic Village promised much but delivered little. Despite her hopes for a free ticket to the Paris 2024 Games, the teenager and her community felt largely sidelined.
Seine-Saint-Denis, a diverse and economically challenged suburb northeast of Paris, was a central focus for the Olympics. The Games’ organizers promised the area would be a vibrant hub, featuring the athletes’ village, Stade de France, and a new 5,000-seat aquatics center. However, many locals, including Fofana, felt that the benefits did not reach them directly.
Fofana, whose school is situated near the Olympic Village, had hoped for a more inclusive experience. “We thought they would plan things for us because, well, it’s the Games, it’s the biggest event in the world,” she said. Her mother, Ketty Choux-Fofana, noted the added inconveniences, such as longer commutes and increased security measures, which contrasted with the joy of seeing athletes celebrating nearby.
David Lebon, a senior official in Saint-Denis, stated that all students from Fofana’s school were invited to a sporting event and participated in the torch relay. Despite this, Fofana’s family claimed they never received these invites.
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Another local resident, Betty Bonheur, lamented the high cost of tickets, which were out of reach for many in Seine-Saint-Denis, where unemployment is nearly 50% higher than the national average. “I would have liked them to say ‘Here, we’ve got tickets, we can give you some’,” Bonheur said, expressing frustration over the lack of affordable tickets.
The Saint-Denis town hall reported distributing 10,000 invitations for the opening ceremony and 9,000 for other Olympic and Paralympic events to the town’s 114,000 residents. Amine Ben Dziri’s daughter was among those who received a ticket through a school competition, and he described her experience as “very nice”.
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While the Games have showcased Paris’s iconic landmarks and delighted international visitors, the contrast with the realities of Seine-Saint-Denis has left some feeling disconnected. Local officials are hopeful that the Olympic legacy will spur long-term economic benefits. The Olympic Village, home to 10,500 athletes, will be converted into housing, including social and student accommodations, with two of the three new developments located in Seine-Saint-Denis.
Yet, residents like Mohammed Ydriss Smaali, 21, worry that the opportunity to create lasting job prospects was missed. “Lots of jobs have been created, even if it was only in the short term,” Smaali said. “But no-one did anything, for example, to prioritize the people, the young people who live here.”
