Paris Olympics 2024: Yves du Manoir — A century-old guard stands tall amidst the wave of modernity

Also known as Stade Olympique, Yves du Manoir predated hockey’s Olympic debut. After a hundred years, it is the only competition venue for Paris 2024 and will incidentally host hockey.

A general view of seats during a Hockey training session ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade Yves Du Manoir on July 24, 2024, in Paris, France. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Yves du Manoir, the centre stage of Baron Pierre de Coubertin’s farewell Games, is steeped in Olympic history for a century.

It was the stadium that saw the making of the legend of Flying Finn Pavo Nurmi, who ran seven races in six days despite the polluted air and heatwave to claim five gold medals.

It was the platform where the Uruguayan football team, which beat Switzerland 3-0 in the final in front of more than 40,000 fans, rose to international stardom.

It was the venue for the 1924 opening ceremony, athletics, gymnastics, tennis, cycling, horse riding, football, rugby, and two modern pentathlon events (running, and fencing).

Also known as Stade Olympique, Yves du Manoir, situated in the north-western Paris suburb of Colombes, predated hockey’s Olympic debut. After a hundred years, it is the only competition venue for Paris 2024 and will incidentally host hockey.

In its new avatar, decked up with a blue synthetic turf, the historic venue – once almost abandoned, but now renovated with a much-reduced capacity from 60,000 to 15,000 – is ready to welcome international hockey stars from around the globe.

“It has been 100 years since the last Olympics were held here. So I am very excited (to play here),” said Manpreet Singh.

Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh saw this as motivation and wanted to make it more memorable by winning the gold medal.

All is not lost for the lovers of history, though. An old house still exists on its premises to remind one about the days of yore.

Opened in 1907 and named after 23-year-old French rugby player Yves du Manor, who died in a plane crash in 1928, the stadium staged the well-known sprint races between Britons Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddle, shown in the 1981 movie ‘Chariots of Fire.’

It also hosted the final of the 1938 FIFA World Cup between Italy and Hungary and saw the former record a 4-2 win to secure its second world title.

Apart from Yves-du-Manoir, the Georges-Vallerey swimming pool (earlier known as Tourelles Swimming Stadium where Johnny Weissmuller emerged as a star athlete and went on to play Tarzan on the silver screen), which will be used as a training venue during Paris 2024 and the Vélodrome Jacques Anquetil La Cipale (which has already hosted two Olympics in 1900 and 1924) also exist as the Olympic heritage of the great city.