The planets are aligning. For the organizers of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France and those of the Paris 2024 Games, the countdown has moved from a distant future to a now near future. A little more than five months for the world oval ball meeting, less than 500 days for the Olympic and Paralympic event.
In the host cities, the pace is accelerating at the same pace. Without downtime. Grouped together within an association, Sports Event Territories (TES), they held their board meeting on Friday March 24. On this occasion, their president, Mathieu Hanotin, mayor of Saint-Denis and president of Plaine Commune, answered questions from FrancsJeux.
FrancsJeux : The city of Paris recently announced the installation of a Rugby Village during the 2023 World Cup. Will all host cities adopt the same model?
Mathieu Hanotin : Yes. The model may be different from one city to another, because the reality of the World Cup will not be the same between Saint-Denis and Nantes, for example. But the principle of a fan zone organized like a rugby village (photo above) was adopted by the ten host cities. It will sometimes only be open on match days, but the idea is to offer entertainment outside the stadium and to accompany the journey of the French team. In Saint-Denis, it will be installed at the foot of the Basilica and will remain open from the first to the last day of the tournament. For cities, this represents a significant cost, especially since they can no longer rely on the entertainment tax. But we obtained, at the end of a negotiation, a subsidy from GIP France 2023 (the organizing committee of the Rugby World Cup) of 100.000 euros per host city and from World Rugby the possibility of concluding local partnerships.
The idea of rugby markets was also mentioned for a while, intended to take advantage of the 2023 World Cup to promote local products. Was it abandoned?
No. The idea was supported by Claude Atcher, the former general director of France 2023, but it was shelved because it was first imagined near the stadiums, a formula which did not work. We reactivated it with GIP France 2023 and the Ministry of Agriculture. But it was decided to integrate these markets into Rugby Villages. On opening days, a range of local products will be offered to supporters, in a sales and tasting area which can range from 180 to 540 m2. These rugby markets will promote organic farming and French know-how, particularly among foreign visitors. A state subsidy of 2 million euros was allocated to this system, or 200.000 euros per host city.
There is a lot of talk about heritage now in the organization of major sporting events. How will the host cities of the 2023 Rugby World Cup benefit from it?
This question is decisive. It was the subject of discussions well before the tournament. We tried to explain to the State the need to materialize an immediate legacy, without waiting for the fallout from the tournament. The World Cup will create momentum around rugby. Clubs will need to be able to welcome young people interested in taking out a license. Otherwise, we will miss something. We obtained a grant of 224.000 euros in advance per host city. It will be paid during the first half of 2023, therefore even before the start of the World Cup. It will be able to finance equipment projects: construction of new fields, switch to synthetic turf, installation of a weight room, etc. It remains to agree on the exact scope of distribution of profits after the tournament. A proportion of 70% will go to the French Rugby Federation (FFR), 30% going to all communities.
Let's move on to the Paris 2024 Games. Are you satisfied with the ticketing offer offered by the COJO to the host cities of the event?
On this question, we must distinguish between theory and practice. The copy presented by Paris 2024, with half of the places at 50 euros or less, and a large volume of tickets at 24 euros, was very satisfactory. I have never found it unusual that certain places are very expensive. In addition, we have obtained the establishment of a social ticket office, financed by the COJO Paris 2024 endowment fund, and a territorial ticket office, which allows host cities to purchase seats at their face price. In Saint-Denis, for example, we will be able to allow thousands of residents to attend a Games event. But the reality has proven more difficult for cities where competition venues have smaller spectator numbers. Some of my elected colleagues were not at all satisfied with what was offered to them. We need to raise our voices. But we will find an agreement. We are working on it.
You have regularly denounced, in your capacity as mayor of Saint-Denis and president of TES, the “ hidden costs » of the Paris 2024 Games. What are they?
It must be understood that the COJO is in charge of everything that is inside the sites, and with the State of the security of the system. But the rest is up to the communities. The signage or the look, for example, from public transport to the Olympic site. All the excitement in town, too. The necessarily additional maintenance of public space. Some of these costs are sometimes identified, others are not. For this reason, we have disagreements with the COJO and with the State. Of course, we are very happy to host the Games. Cities will benefit, particularly in terms of influence. We are very committed to their success, since day one. And we will be until the end. But we can’t always ask the impossible from host cities.
