NEWSnet International Correspondent Ryan Thompson takes us on a tour of the sailing central for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
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00:00 "Welcome in Marseille, we're in the South Bay, which is the Olympic Bay."
00:05 They may be called the Paris Olympic Games, but when athletes descend on France in one
00:10 year they'll see much more than just the Eiffel Tower.
00:14 "Marseille and Calanques, so it's in the whole South Bay and we will have all the Olympic
00:21 classes running at the same time for the two weeks."
00:25 France's second largest southern port city will be ground zero for sailing.
00:30 It's known for powerful mistral winds, and sailors from the U.S. are already learning
00:35 to contend with them.
00:36 "But they're a lot of fun, but scary.
00:39 We were here in April, so we had longer mistral days, but now it's a bit shorter."
00:44 The winds average around 30 miles per hour, but sometimes can blow much faster.
00:49 "It's a lot of different conditions, you can get from 6 knots all the way up to 40 knots
00:56 on some days, so it's a mix of everything."
00:59 Teams from as far as China and New Zealand are spending hours out on Marseille's open
01:04 water.
01:05 Olympic organizers even scheduled a test event this summer to see if sailors could handle
01:10 the course.
01:11 "We had half a regatta that went well and fell short for the second half, so there's
01:17 a year for us to fill those gaps.
01:20 But a year's a long time, right?"
01:22 The Olympic sailing course is over 400 miles from Paris, here in Marseille.
01:27 And though athletes' eyes will be on the water, they'll have a stunning view of Marseille's
01:32 spectacular coastline.
01:34 With its rocky inlets, small archipelagos and ancient architecture, this city is really
01:39 something.
01:40 Marseille has passed through the hands of both the Greeks and the Romans.
01:45 Each has left their mark on the city of 900,000, which is distinctly un-Parisian.
01:50 And though it's been a trading port since ancient times, it's now scrubbing away its
01:57 reputation for grit, drawing new residents interested in its food, culture and 300 days
02:04 of sun.
02:05 "I am way happier sailing in the sun.
02:06 It just makes the experience so much better.
02:07 I'm happier, I sail better and faster."
02:08 A fact that's not lost on these visiting sailors.
02:20 In Marseille, France, I'm Ryan Thompson for Newsnet.
02:23 -END-
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