Since 1923, the South Paris Arena has been hosting trade fairs and expos for the worldâ€s biggest industries. In 2024, it plays host to the worldâ€s best table tennis players for 2 weeks of world class entertainment.
Hereâ€s everything you need to know about the location for table tennisâ€s most prestigious event.
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Location
South Paris Arena is located in Paris†15th arrondissement, around 14km south of the main Olympic Village. For anyone familiar with the geography of Paris, thatâ€ll be around 4km south of the Eiffel Tower.
Itâ€s the most southern of the central Parisian venues. If youâ€re lucky enough to be in Paris, here are the nearest public transport options:
- Metro 13 – “Porte de Vanves” station, then 1.4 km to the venue
- Metro 8 – “Balard” station, then 750 m walk to the venue
- Tram T3a – “Georges Brassens” station, then 700 m walk to the venue
- Metro 12 – “Porte de Versailles” station, then 150 m walk to the venue
Sports Being Hosted At South Paris Arena
As youâ€ve likely spotted from the above location map, there are actually 4 sports being played at the South Paris Arena across 3 different arenas.
Table Tennis itself is being hosted in “South Paris Arena #4â€.
About South Paris Arena
South Paris Arena forms part of the Paris Expo complex, a 35 hectare park with 228,000 square meters of hall space. During normal years itâ€s used to host large exhibitions including boat and car shows.
2024 is very different, with the entire complex used for the Olympics.
Source: Olympics.com
The expo site consists of 7 halls (or pavilion spaces)
Hall 1 is the largest event space at 45,000 m^2, and will be hosting the volleyball competition throughout the entire games.
Hall 6 will host the preliminary rounds of the handball (with the final rounds held at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille) before transforming into the weightlifting venue for the final 5 days of the games.
We care mostly about Hall 4, which is where the table tennis competition will be taking place. Itâ€s a large 20,000m^2 space with a 10.5m ceiling, perfect for hosting the worldâ€s biggest table tennis event.
There’ll be space for around 6,500 spectators at each session in Hall 4, with tickets expected to be sold out for the entire 2 weeks.
Hall 5 will also be used partly as a training hall for table tennis competitors, alongside hospitality and broadcast rooms.
The rest of the space will be used for various accreditation, VIP, and partner events.
Source: Paris.fr
Expected Arena Setup
Over the course of the competition, expect the arena setup to shift based on the amount of matches that need to be played. Weâ€re expecting the initial number of competition tables to be between four (4) shifting down to just one (1) table for the medal matches.
It remains to be seen whether they will be able to move seating / playing space around, or if theyâ€ll simply illuminate just the tables that are being played on.
Speaking of tables, the ITTF has announced they are using DHS Rainbow 2 tables for the competition hall, each equipped with remote-controlled LED lights to be used between points/games.
You can learn more about the table tennis equipment being used at the Paris 2024 Olympics with our article on that topic.
Whilst we wonâ€t know the exact layout until the 27th July, we do have this artistâ€s rendering that gives a sense of the arena.
Source: Paris 2024/Viparis
David’s been playing Table Tennis since he was 12, earning his first coaching license in 2012. He’s played in national team & individual competitions, although he prefers the more relaxed nature of a local league match! After earning his umpiring qualification in England, David moved to Australia and started Racket Insight to share information about the sport he loves.
Blade: Stiga WRB Offensive Classic | Forehand: Calibra LT | Backhand: Xiom Musa
Playstyle: The All-Rounder