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From July 26 through August 11, the spectacular Palace of Versailles will be the setting for the equestrian events held as part of the Paris 2024 Olympics. The only Olympic sport involving animals, Equestrian became an Olympic sport at the Paris 1900 Games. While there weren’t many events back then, since Stockholm in 1912, there have been three individual and team equestrian categories: show jumping, dressage, and eventing.
At Paris 2024, 200 athletes will compete in equestrian competitions, including 65 in eventing, 60 in dressage, and 75 in show jumping, with 20 national teams of three riders each and 15 individual competitors.
Past medal tallies point to a strong German showing, as well as Swedish, French, British, and American. Italy has won a place on the podium 23 times, with seven gold, nine silver, and seven bronze medals. Its success is mainly because of brothers Raimondo and Piero D’Inzeo, who, between 1948 (London) and 1976 (Montreal), won medal after medal over eight Olympic Games. Alongside Josefa Idem, who will compete with sport shooter Giovanni Pellielo this year, the D’Inzeo brothers hold the Italian record for competing in the most Games.
So, after 124 years, the Games are back in Paris, where, after the disappointment of Tokyo 2020, Italian fans hope to see their country win at least one more medal. The country’s fate is now in the hands of its athletes, with its greatest hope being Emanuele Camilli. Adding to the spectacle of the equestrian events will be their location in the gardens of the sumptuous Palace of Versailles.
An internationally recognized icon, the Palace of Versailles will host the Olympic equestrian competitions in its magnificent, history-rich gardens. King Louis XIV made the palace his residence in 1682. In 1883, however, the site became a national museum open to the public. In 1979, it was the first location in France to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Using temporary structures, an outdoor arena has been set up in the palace gardens with seating for between 15 and 40 thousand, depending on the event. With seating on multiple levels, the arena is on the Étoile Royal, esplanade to the west of the Grand Canal in the heart of the gardens. After the Games, the temporary structures will be dismantled, and the Palace of Versailles will return to its role as a world famous cultural attraction that welcomes millions of visitors every year.
The palace will also be a setting for the marathon, with the 42 km route winding its way from Paris to Versailles and back. This is to pay tribute to the Women’s March on Versailles, the protest during the French Revolution.
>>> In Paris 2024, beach volleyball matches to be played in an outdoor arena in Champ-de-Mars
Images by EPV / Thomas Garnier, courtesy of Olympics Paris 2024
