An indescribable Olympic venue with an open wow scale
The Olympic Games are above all an event for large TV images. The most spectacular ones can be seen in Paris at the beach volleyball. Because the backdrop is breathtaking. The game is played at the feet of the Eiffel Tower - magnificent.
The noise can already be heard from afar. It echoes over large parts of the Champ de Mars, a 24-hectare garden in the middle of Paris. In fact, it is a mixture of cheering, party music, rhythmic clapping. And this mix stands out. It fascinates, it attracts. Almost up to 13,000 fans. Every day.
The exact location of these loud, passionate outbursts is at the northwest end of the Champ de Mars, the "Stade Tour Eiffel". Here, attraction and attraction merge into "one of the most beautiful backdrops in Olympic history", according to the US television station "NBC". Because at the foot of Paris' landmark, the Eiffel Tower, the beach volleyball players dig, spike, and smash. And they have one of the most telegenic sports in Olympic history.
"That's already genius, dreamlike"
France's most famous beaches may be on the Côte d'Azur - but the coolest beach at the moment is right in the capital. Completely without the sea. At the foot of the Eiffel Tower. In the seventh arrondissement. "That's already genius, dreamlike," said Laura Ludwig. The German beach volleyball icon lost her preliminary round match against the French duo Lezana Placette and Alexis Richard in two sets on Monday evening, along with Louisa Lippmann.
At the start of the game, just after 9 pm, a picturesque sunset could be seen behind the Eiffel Tower. When Ludwig and Lippmann then took a timeout towards the end of the match and sat on their bench to discuss the next moves, even the experienced Ludwig lost her focus.
And suddenly the Eiffel Tower sparkles
Because it was 10 pm - and on the seemingly open wow scale, the next level was activated. The sunset had disappeared, the sky over Paris was dark - and the Eiffel Tower began to sparkle under the cheers of the fans in the sold-out arena. This made the 135-year-old crowd-puller even more magical than it already was in daylight.
Louisa Lippmann was visibly searching for words to express her feelings as accurately as possible. The 29-year-old had just made her Olympic debut. "It's an incredible backdrop. And it's somehow indescribable when you're down there and everything seems very big from the outside," said Lippmann. For her, this is "the most beautiful center court" she has ever played on.
The Eiffel Tower is 330 meters high. The players see it during the game, in the breaks, all the time. The steel giant overlooks the Champ de Mars, the beach volleyball arena, every match. The good thing is that there are no side courts in the "Stade Tour Eiffel". All the matches in this tournament take place on the center court, whose stands rise up to 30 meters high on three sides towards the sky.
The later the matches, the more spectacular the atmosphere
Games are played from 9 am to sometimes just before midnight. And the later the matches, the more spectacular the atmosphere. Vibes, beats, and yes, of course, the bikinis - all of this on Monday evening at temperatures of 27 degrees Celsius and a light breeze. A summer evening straight out of the Paris travel catalog. The stands even vibrate and sway when the fans clap, stamp, or dance. And of course, "La Ola", the wave, cannot be missing at this daily "grande fête de plage", the great beach party.
For Laura Ludwig, Paris is her fifth Olympic Games. Her greatest success came in 2016 when the native Berliner won gold in Rio de Janeiro alongside Kira Walkenhorst in a stadium that could seat 16,000 spectators on Copacabana Beach. Could the stadiums in Rio and Paris be compared? Ludwig shook her head after her opening loss, saying it's "a massive difference." Copacabana is Copacabana, she said, where beach volleyball is simply a part of life. But "here in Paris," she said, they're playing in a "cool, urban stadium."
A Spectacle "Worthy of Instagram"
Who's playing against whom or the score isn't the most important thing yet. At least not yet. Because those who come here want summer vibes, beach atmosphere, entertainment - and photos. After all, it's 2024, and the stadium with its spectacular Eiffel Tower backdrop provides the perfect setting for countless social media posts. It's simply "Instagrammable," suitable for Instagram or other social media channels.
TikTok reported that on Sunday, the Eiffel Tower location was tagged in more than 80,000 posts. That's in addition to nearly 90,000 mentions with the hashtag #beachvolleyball. Influencer Olivia Dunn was there on Saturday night and posted a TikTok video that racked up 173,000 likes and 1.6 million views in just 23 hours.
The hype around this hotspot is likely to continue until August 10, perhaps even intensify. That's when the bronze medal match and the final will take place in the "Stade Tour Eiffel." Until then, the party will continue - and of course, the photography. After that, the tribunes and sand will disappear, and there won't be parties, but picnics, as there always have been.
The awe-inspiring sight of the Eiffel Tower sparkling against the night sky, set against the cheers of the sold-out crowd, is a spectacle that elevates the 'Wow scale' to a new level during the late-night matches at the beach volleyball venue. The breathtaking backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, illuminated in its nighttime glory, offers an Instagrammable scene that captures the hearts of many spectators and social media users.
