Transforming Versailles into a World-Class Equestrian Venue

The Chateau de Versailles played host to the equestrian events during the games, with events including Dressage, Showjumping and Eventing. Chosen as the venue because of its historic connection to horses, the grounds of the Chateau needed to be transformed into a venue with enough seating for spectators who had travelled across the world to watch the competition take place. 

Installing seating for the thousands of spectators attending the 2024 Summer Olympics was a complex and intricate task. Working with Hall Expo and GL events group, GL events UK were appointed to design the grandstands and supply the equipment to build them on. 

The UK seating team embraced the challenge of designing three grandstands for the Palace of Versailles. Liam Adams, one of our experienced CAD Technicians, led the design of the project, supported by Russell Woolley, Design Manager, and Chris Mansell, Director & General Manager of Seating & Stadia. To ensure a seamless planning process, the team collaborated closely with Victor Volay, Project Manager, and Paul Schollhammer, Design Lead in France, making multiple site visits to Paris ahead of the event. 

The designs underwent regular revisions and exchanges before final approval from the Paris Organising Committee for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games (COJOP2024). The UK team also provided critical engineering support, prepared comprehensive method statements for safe construction, and even assigned a site supervisor to assist with installation. 

The three grandstands collectively featured 16,243 seats, with heights ranging from 18 to 23 meters and accommodating 45 to 47 rows each. These structures offered spectators unparalleled views of the equestrian events and the breathtaking Versailles estate. To ensure accessibility, platforms were installed across all three grandstands, providing space for 304 spectators requiring accessible viewing. 

The installation of grandstands at Versailles for the Olympics presented a unique set of challenges due to the event's scale, complexity, and the historic nature of the site. GL Events UK leveraged its extensive knowledge and experience with large-scale multi-sport events to overcome these hurdles, delivering an exceptional outcome. However, the process was far from straightforward. 

The design of the three grandstands was particularly demanding, requiring 2–3 years to complete across the planning and implementation phases. Protecting the palace grounds during construction added significant complexity, necessitating innovative approaches to avoid any damage to this historic and culturally significant site. 

The design team faced the additional challenge of ensuring all structures adhered to French health, safety, and engineering codes, which differ from UK standards. Adjustments were required for egress, rail heights, and various structural calculations to ensure UK equipment met French regulatory requirements. This necessitated meticulous planning and coordination to adapt the designs appropriately. 

Effective communication was critical in bridging the language gap between the UK and French teams. The need for clear and precise collaboration became even more apparent given the differences in equipment and practices between the two countries. 

To comply with French code requirements and facilitate on-site operations, all 103,761 components supplied, collectively weighing 989.5 tonnes, needed to be labelled with a QR code. These QR codes provided vital details, including the part number, description, supplier, and year of manufacture. The scale of this task was immense and required an enormous effort from the team to ensure accuracy and compliance. 

The result of both the team in France and the UK’s hard work was an outstanding event that saw Great Britain go on to win gold medals in both the team showjumping and eventing as well as a further three bronze medals in the team dressage, individual dressage and individual eventing. The seating provided by the GL events UK team at Versailles meant that spectators had unobstructed views of the action - and the historic site. 

The Paris Olympics were an outstanding display of sportsmanship, against the iconic backdrop of the city and are a Games that won’t be forgotten.