S2H Team

The article based on FIH newsletter. Photos Courtesy: Yan Huckendubler

The hockey competitions at the 2024 Paris Olympics will be held at a venue enjoying the rarest of rare privileges. The Yves-du-Manoir Stadium was one of the venues of the 2024 Olympics and will do an encore then the quadrennial Games commence on July 26.

Designed by architect Louis Faure-Dujarric, the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium was the main Olympic venue a century ago when the eighth edition of the Games were held. It was here that the opening ceremony and athletics events took place. And, now, it will be unique in that it is the only one that will host the second Games in history when the hockey events get going.

The venue is named after a French rugby player and until 1972, when the Parc des Princes was  inaugurated, the Yves-du-Manoir multisports venue was the main stadium in the Paris Region.

Located in Colombes, in Paris’s northwest, it has hosted around 250 national and international competitions over the past century, from athletics to rugby, football and even boxing, including the World Championship in 1972, in front of 40,000 spectators.

The Yves-du-Manoir Stadium has already been renovated several times, and the Hautsde-Seine department, which owns this facility, will be launching a modernisation programme to benefit its communities, associations, schools and universities. The venue includes two competition pitches and one training pitch. The field of play and all the equipment will be presented in accordance with the FIH Rules of Hockey.

Approximately 10,000 spectators can be accommodated to watch the action on Pitch 1 with 5,000 for Pitch 2. On May 4 and 5, a test event was held to conduct all the operational checks of the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium ahead of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Players, officials and fans expressed excitement at the prospect of Olympic hockey unfolding at the venue. On 4 and 5 May, a test event was held to conduct all the operational checks of the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium ahead of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Hockey Stadium Paris

Hosting the Olympic Games twice is a privilege that very few venues will experience.

Designed by the architect Louis Faure-Dujarric, Yves-du-Manoir Stadium is one of them. It was the main venue for the eighth Olympiad in 1924, staging the opening ceremony and athletics events. A unique venue in France, it is the only one that will host the second Games in its history in 2024, staging the hockey competitions.

Until 1972, when the Parc des Princes was inaugurated, the Yves-du-Manoir multisports venue, named after a French rugby player, was the main stadium in the Paris Region. Located in Colombes, in Paris’s northwest, it has hosted around 250 national and international competitions over the past century, from athletics to rugby, football and even boxing, including the World Championship in 1972, in front of 40,000 spectators.

Yves-du-Manoir Stadium has already been renovated several times, and the Hautsde- Seine department, which owns this facility, will be launching a modernisation programme to benefit its communities, associations, schools and universities. The venue includes two (2) competition pitches and one (1) training pitch. The field of play and all the equipment will be presented in accordance with the FIH Rules of Hockey.

Capacity: approx. 10,000 people (Pitch 1), approx. 5,000 (Pitch 2) On 4 and 5 May, a test event was held to conduct all the operational checks of the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium ahead of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Various junior and senior teams were in action and the athletes were buzzing as they spoke to us after their matches and shared their excitement about hockey at the upcoming Games.

What they said about the Yves-du-Manoir Hockey Stadium
“It is a beautiful stadium and I can’t wait to see it once it is branded fully and filled with fans for the Olympics. The whole team is excited, and we are thrilled to be involved in the test event.”

Nike Lorenz, Germany women

“It’s an amazing feeling playing here and we are getting impatient to play in the Olympics. We have been playing here for three weeks now and we are growing together as a team.”
Victor Lockwood, France men

“We can already feel that the atmosphere in the main stands will be absolutely electric. It’s been a good experience for us to get to know the stadium and I really like it.”
Niklas Wellen, Germany men

Tony Estanguet, President of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 Organising Committee, was also in attendance at the Yves-du-Manoir test event. Speaking about the significant history of the stadium, he remarked: “The Yves-du-Manoir stadium has been a very important part of the French sports movement, and we are excited to be back here. One hundred years after we had the opening ceremony and many other events in the stadium during the 1924 Paris Olympics, we are proud to have hockey played here in this historic venue.”

He also extended a warm welcome to the global hockey fans, saying: “We are looking forward to the fans filling up the stadium and bringing an amazing atmosphere. The entire country is ready and excited for Paris 2024, we just need you fans here, and we look forward to having you!”

Getting there:

The Yves-du-Manoir Stadium will be served by Le Stade station (train line J from the Gare Saint-Lazare in central Paris). Spectators are advised to allow sufficient travel time and to arrive early at the competition site.

Where it is located: Department: Hauts-de-Seine (92), City: Colombes

Distance from the Olympic Village: 9km to the west

Games venues located nearby: La Défense Arena, Stade de France or the Olympic Legacy

Following the Olympic Games Paris 2024, one of the new buildings at Yves du Manoir
Stadium will be home to the French Hockey Federation (Fédération Française de Hockey – FFH), the Ile-de-France League and the Departmental Hockey Committee, which will be followed by a resident club. Two synthetic hockey pitches – one for competitions, with a 1,000-seat stand, and one for training – will be set aside for the Federation’s national training centre. A second building will be devoted to football and rugby, while four football pitches, three rugby pitches and a new athletics track will be created in the existing activities area.