An impressive queue stretches around the Maurice Baquet gymnasium in Pantin (Seine-Saint-Denis), on Sunday 22 September. These crowds suggest the arrival of a rock star in the town on the outskirts of Paris, but these thousands of people came for the Games clearance sale. Bobs, caps, towels and other souvenirs of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are on sale, for the third time after Saint-Denis, in the same department, and Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin), on 14 and 15 September. And the public responds: at 10:30 a.m., the estimated time before entering the complex is around five hours.
“We came from Malesherbes in the Loiret, we drove for an hour, we arrived at 7am, the wait was long but it was for a good cause.Jean-Luc, 63, says he anticipated the wait and planned his camping chair. We saw several events during the Olympic Games, so we came here to keep a memory of this good period. »
As part of its “Terre de Jeux” programme, the Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Cojop) is organising clearance sales in 24 communities, including Pantin. The aim is to give a second life to the thousands of objects that made up the Games: volunteer uniforms, athletes’ towels, accreditation lanyards, eco-friendly cups and even delegation flags raised during medal ceremonies. A real windfall for collectors, these products are sold in the gymnasium, which has been transformed into a real market for a day, at prices ranging from 1 to 60 euros.
“Of the 6 million products manufactured for the Games, we have almost 10% in stock. This project is part of a desire for a circular economy and the reuse of textile products, explains Mélissa Lemoine, head of the Reuse project for the sale of tangible assets in Paris 2024. We wanted to benefit certain communities, such as Pantin, which was very involved in the Games. »
The sale coincides with the “climate day” organised every year in the Sequano-Dyonisian city. “We saw it as a double opportunity: to promote the circular economy and to offer people a souvenir of the Olympic Games.” welcomes Bertrand Kern, Mayor (PS) of Pantin, proud to attend the event “going beyond the municipal framework”. “We participated in the Games with the torch relay and the Paralympic marathon. But we did not do a test on the territory. This is a gesture that Paris 2024 made us”continues.
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