September 1997 – N° 28 – City – ENGLISH
September 1997 – N°28 CITIES
PARIS
Population: 2,200,000 Club: Paris Saint Germain Stadium: Parc des Princes Capacity: 49,000 seats Schedule: 4 first-round matches on 15, 19, 21 and 25 June, a round of sixteen match on 27 June, and the third place play-off on 11 July 1998.
We talk to Jean Tiberi, Mayor of Paris. Ready to take up the challenge :
Hosting an event of an international dimension is hardly a “first” for Paris.
What are the principle challenges that will be facing your city during the World Cup, and what form will your preparations be taking ? The challenge Paris is going to have to meet is ensuring impeccable reception facilities, travel, accommodation and security, and in general a thoroughly pleasant stay for the three or four hundred thousand extra visitors who will be descending on the city during the World Cup. This shouldn’t cause any insuperable difficulties, as Paris has already successfully coped with 800,000 young people who came to stay in the city during August, and who had huge rallies on more than one occasion. None of this posed any problem for either the Parisians or the tourists. These World Youth Days demonstrated that the city was quite capable of rising to a challenge of this nature. This is highly reassuring in the context of the 1998 World Cup, because owing to the staggered schedule and the widely-scattered venues, Paris will not just be the main reception city for supporters and their entourage, who will be staying here, but also a stopping-off place for those using it as a springboard to reach other parts of France. At the same time, Paris must take care to preserve the lifestyle and peace of mind of Parisians, whether they are involved in the event or not. Tourists, fans, the media – Paris is going to be more of a focal point than ever during the World Cup. What steps is the capital taking to welcome all these different people?
Reception facilities for fans and tourists are already excellent, and the city’s main efforts will be directed towards making everyone aware of the dimension of this event, one which will give Paris a marvellous opportunity to show off to all its visitors its cultural and artistic heritage, including many “treasures” not so well-known to foreigners: our parks, gardens, canals, new neighbourhoods and so on.
Paris will also be home to the International Media Centre, which will be hosting more than 5,000 journalists during the World Cup. Already the various city departments are working hard at preparing the subjects which are sure to be of interest to the media. And there is going to be a public awareness campaign at the end of the year, concentrating on the wonderful opportunity Paris now has to display its prowess in terms of hospitality.
During the summer of 98, the “party” will not just be taking place on the football pitches. How do you envisage involving the heart of the city in the celebrations?
Firstly, by showing visitors who are not familiar with the city the great wealth of cultural and recreational activities available to them in Paris, and how easy it is to take advantage of them. The big show on the eve of the Opening Match will, of course, be the occasion for a magnificent and universal celebration for everyone, made widely accessible thanks to the media. Other events – which you’ll be hearing about later – are also being planned as entertainment: the quality of these projects is one of my major concerns.
Finally, it’s not simply a matter of the city artificially dressing up events in football colours. It’s about creating a memorable occasion, which takes all kinds of people and age-groups into account. It’s for people from abroad as well as the French, for visitors to the capital as well as the residents.
