An email from an unknown sender, especially from San Marino, has a good chance of ending its journey in the rarely explored graveyard of “spam”. And if, however, it slips through the cracks, it is still up to the recipient to decide whether or not to open it. Arnaud Zumaglia does not regret having consulted, out of curiosity, this message sent from the landlocked micro-state in north-central Italy, one day in August 2018.
Because six years later, thanks to this first unusual contact, the general director of Athletica (new name of the Departmental Sports Training and Animation Center) is preparing to welcome the United States delegation within his structure during of the Paris 2024 Games (July 26 to August 11 for the Olympics; August 28 to September 8 for the Paralympics). Team USA will take up residence in this sports center of excellence located in Eaubonne, in Val-d’Oise, from the beginning of July and until mid-September.
On site, an athletics track, gymnasiums, swimming pool – among others – await. A sign of the excitement surrounding this arrival: a light panel installed in front of the enclosure ticks off the countdown before the arrival of its first members.
“Since this San Marino email sent by an agency which claimed to be mandated by foreign Olympic committees to look for infrastructure in France, everything happened very quicklyretrace for The world Mr. Zumaglia. At first I thought it was a scam. But, just in case, I answered anyway. » Two weeks later, a group showed up unexpectedly in the Athletica lobby, accompanied by a representative from the said agency.
“Our receptionist came to see me saying: “You have to come to the entrance quickly, people saying they belong to the American delegation are there”, recalls the general manager. In fact, fifteen people were waiting for me and showed me their cards to prove their position. After this little moment of shock, an unplanned visit to our structure followed. I didn’t know it but it was the first of a long series. »
Nearly 1,200 people every day
There will be around fifteen visits in total between August 2018 and December 2019. To praise the qualities of the site and convince the United States delegation to settle in Val-d’Oise, Athletica had to pull out all the stops. game. It was necessary. The delegation explored around thirty different locations – between Orléans, the Paris region and the north of France – before officially signing the contract at the start of 2020.
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