In November, Paris revealed its “one village, two poles” plan for the summer 2012 Olympics. Passed over for 2008, the French have learned from their mistakes. Instead of spreading sporting venues around the city, they’ve concentrated on two poles of activity that together would host 75 percent of events. Most symbolically, they’ve brought the Olympic Village inside the city limits, so that the athletes can enjoy the City of Lights.
The primary Olympic pole would be located just north of the city around the Stade de France, the open-air stadium built to host the 1998 Soccer World Cup and to accommodate track and field. New construction, including the media center and new sports venues, would be built nearby. To the west, a second, largely existing pole includes Roland Garros Stadium, site of the French Tennis Open, the Parc des Princes soccer stadium, and the horse racing tracks and expansive grounds within the Bois de Boulogne park.
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