Pride House · Paris 2024: A festive and inclusive sanctuary for everyone at the Olympic and Paralympic Games (2024)

Pride House · Paris 2024 is more than just a fan zone. It is a place of celebration, relaxation, and community that is writing a new chapter in the fight against exclusion and bigotry on the Olympic and global stages.

At the inauguration of Pride House · Paris 2024, the atmosphere was both joyous and solemn, blending humor and gravity around the critical issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community. A week later, we returned to the banks of the Seine to speak with co-founder Frédérique Vidal and assess the progress of this unique project. Our interview prompted a reflection on the broader societal role played the Olympic Games throughout history.

When considering the role played by the Olympics in our collective consciousness, Jesse Owens immediately springs to mind. At the Berlin Games in 1936, the American athlete defied Nazi racial narratives by winning four gold medals. Thirty years later, the raised fists of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the Mexico City Games were just as iconoclastic in highlighting the connection between sport and human rights advocacy.

Few know that Smith, Carlos, and silver medalist Peter Norman all wore Olympic Project for Human Rights badges on the Mexican podium that night to signal their commitment to equality — a commitment athletes and organisers alike are keen to highlight to this day. Yet despite these landmark moments, some communities still struggle for recognition in 2024.

Times are changing, however. In 2018, Peter Norman's family accepted the Order of Merit from the Australian Olympic Committee on his behalf, and the following year, John Carlos and Tommie Smith were finally inducted into the American Olympic Hall of Fame.

"Like the declaration of human rights, the Games have universal reach and significance"

These recognitions demonstrate that the Olympic Games can serve as a global platform to address issues often overlooked at national level — like the declaration of human rights, the Games have universal reach and significance. Of course, mistakes have been made, and on occasion, some voices have used the Games to promote less noble causes. But overall, they’ve been a force for good. The role of volunteers, diversity advocates, and the athletes themselves in this evolution is undeniable, with the tone set by host countries also playing a crucial part in this plea.

"The opening ceremony set the tone. It highlighted fellowship and the LGBTQ+ community was represented throughout."**

The Paris Games have emphasised inclusiveness from the very start. Familiar LGBTQ+ themes like openness, community and fellowship were among the main topics of Thomas Jolly’s opening opus. When we met, Frédérique Vidal was full of praise for this initiative: "The opening ceremony set the tone. It highlighted fellowship and the LGBTQ+ community was represented throughout. It gave us global visibility and credibility. We truly feel at home here."

"It's an important step for the LGBTQ+ community and promotes greater inclusion during the Olympic Games".

Speaking to our correspondent, Taylor Mooney, François, a young Parisian, was keen to underline the exceptional atmosphere of the venue. "This is my first visit to the Pride House, and I'm really enjoying it. The music is excellent, there are great people around, and being close to the Seine is always a plus. The vibe here is really positive."

"It's an important step for the LGBTQ+ community and promotes greater inclusion during the Olympic Games", he continues. "I hope we will see the same level of inclusivity at the next Games in LA. It is crucial to be open and welcoming to the world and all its communities, we're just happy to be a part of it."

"Living together in harmony reflects the true spirit of the Olympic Games."

Frédérique Vidal is delighted with the LGBTQ+ community's response to the new venue: "The reactions have been universally positive. People keep coming back; it has become their home." She says, "These are the first rainbow Games. It is essential that this community feels safe but we must also be open to others. Living together in harmony reflects the true spirit of the Olympic Games."

This sentiment is shared by the many athletes who have visited Pride House during the Games, including British legend Kelly Holmes and a new generation of athletes like Javier Raya, Gus Kenworthy, and Matthew Mitcham.

It’s clear that Pride Houses have become an integral part of the Olympic tradition of rights advocacy, embodied by figures like Jesse Owens, Tommie Smith, John Carlos, and Dame Kelly Holmes. However, the true aim of these spaces is to become official fan zones, on a par with the many others.

Like the LGBTQ+ community, Pride Houses are not seeking special treatment. They simply want to exist on an equal footing with other official celebration venues. During the Paralympic Games, which will run from August 28 to September 8, 2024, Pride House Paris 2024 will move from the banks of the river Seine and the Rosa Bonheur to Club France, where it will write a new chapter in the ongoing battle for equality at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Jesse Owens would undoubtedly approve.