During my time in Paris, I enjoyed visiting different exhibitions and pop-up stores between lectures and work, and Paris 2024 offered a unique opportunity to experience the city in a vibrant Olympic atmosphere. One of the most exciting events was the various Houses of Nations held in La Villette, which was transformed into a ‘Park of Nations.’ Here, countries shared their sporting history and cultural identity with visitors in their houses, as well as providing broadcasts of the games in the official language for viewers from their own countries. La Villette is the center of Olympic celebrations, where fans from all over the world gather to enjoy sports, music, and food. Each national pavilion offers visitors a glimpse into the culture and spirit of its country and hosts a variety of events to entertain and engage visitors.
French Club: €5
The French Club is the centerpiece of the French Olympic experience in La Villette, a place for French athletes and fans to celebrate their victories and share unforgettable moments. Here you can sit on the grass with your friends with food and drinks, watching the games with visiting spectators in front of the huge screens in the fan zone. The indoor pavilion area is dotted with large and small sponsor stands, showing visitors the lifestyle of France.
India House: €5, day pass
India House focuses on Indian culture and sport and is located next to the Decathlon Sports Centre of La Villette. The entrance is decorated with traditional Indian bouquets. Inside, there is a history and outlook of Indian sports, traditional techniques, and handicrafts. Visitors can taste traditional Indian cuisine, watch cultural performances, and game streams.
Canada House: €30, day pass
Located in the Tech City Pavilion, this place has various sponsors of Team Canada, which makes me feel very close to it as someone who has lived in Canada for seven years. The staff described it as “It is Canada.” It hosts events showcasing Canadian music, food, and sports, as well as a flash mob by Team Canada’s apparel sponsor, Lululemon, for fans of Team Canada to purchase.
America’s House: €325, day pass
Located in the center of Paris, Palais Brongniart is a neoclassical building originally commissioned by Napoleon I and once housed the Paris Stock Exchange. Its spectacular colonnade and beautifully decorated sculptures emphasize the building’s majesty and elegance. Now transformed into the USA House, the historic building is open to the public for the first time for non-US athletes and their families, and offers a range of activities for Team USA supporters, such as a Team USA souvenir shop, meet-and-greets with US athletes, live screenings of Olympic events, and more.
Japan House: Free, reservations required
Japan House uses two floors of the Paris Japanese Cultural Hall to showcase Team Japan for Paris 2024 and Japan’s contribution to Tokyo 2021. Visitors can participate in workshops, watch performances, and learn about the major sporting events that will take place in Japan in the coming years. Here, I finally got to experience the cardboard beds I’ve been curious about for a long time, an eco-friendly technology that was first put into use in Tokyo 2021 and continues to be used in Paris 2024. One of the most interesting booths I saw at Japan House was about the Japan Sports Council, which I’ll talk more about in my next blog.
Korea House: Free, reservations required
The Korean House for the Paris 2024 Olympics is located at the Maison de la Chimie, an international conference center in the heart of Paris. Visitors can enjoy Korean food, music, and cultural performances while learning about the history of Korean culture and Olympic representation. One of the most popular exhibits for visitors is a photo booth in collaboration with CJ, the homegrown Korean entertainment company, whose K-pop has attracted massive overseas fans lined up for taking photos.
My classmates thought that the Korean Pavilion should have added some more Olympic or sports culture elements; at the same time, some students thought that as an Olympic showcase of the country’s culture, the pavilion did not need to be planned entirely based on sports. What do you think? Do you prefer pavilions with more of a sports or Olympic element, or ones that focus more on cultural promotion?