The Legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

5. International learnings and recommendations

Abstract

This chapter summarises the lessons learned from the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games across the four areas covered by this report. These insights are relevant both for future organisers of major sporting, cultural and business events, and for broader public policies relating to employment, SMEs, the social and solidarity economy, public procurement, the environment, sport and culture.

Creating jobs, leveraging the social and solidarity economy, and generating opportunities for MSMEs

When strategically planned, major events can leave a lasting legacy in terms of inclusion, skills development, and business growth. However, a number of common challenges must be addressed to ensure that MSMEs and the social and solidarity economy (SSE) can fully benefit from these opportunities. These include complex procurement procedures, limited awareness of available opportunities, and difficulties in meeting event-related requirements. It is also often challenging to maximise employment and training outcomes for disadvantaged groups and those furthest away from the labour market. The Paris 2024 experience offers several lessons for event organisers and policymakers working in the areas of employment, SME support, and public procurement:

• Bring together social partners around ambitious, measurable commitments. The Social Charter and the SOLIDEO Charter for Employment and Territorial Development set quantifiable targets. Surpassing the initial goal of 25%, 37% of the total contract value was awarded to MSMEs and SSE entities. In addition, 23.5% of total hours worked on Olympic construction projects were completed by individuals in workforce integration programmes - more than double the original 10% target. As with Paris 2024, the 2030 French Alps Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have committed to concluding an ambitious Social Charter with the social partners. Beyond the Games, the principles of the Social Charter also extend to wider applications in the construction sector and in the organisation of events.

• Establish strategic workforce planning. Early anticipation, made possible by a detailed employment and skills needs assessment conducted six years before the Games and regularly updated, enabled effective workforce planning in key sectors such as construction, tourism, and event management.

• Target training and recruitment in sectors facing chronic labour shortages to ensure long-term impact. The short-term nature of the Games posed specific challenges, particularly in securing sustainable employment outcomes. To avoid a temporary boost with no lasting effect, recruitment and training efforts focused on sectors with structural labour shortages, such as security and hospitality, which are also strategic for strengthening the broader French event industry over the long term.

• Enhance co-ordination to facilitate job matching. The combined efforts of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee (OCOG), the City of Paris, France Travail, SOLIDEO and regional actors helped streamline recruitment and training processes. Initiatives such as the EMPLOIS 2024 platform, dedicated employment contact points, and the Paris Employment Pacts facilitated connections between employers and job seekers, particularly in high-demand sectors. Following the Games, the EMPLOIS platform was scaled up to address broader economic needs across the Île-de-France Region, thereby maximising the Games’ legacy for the local labour market.

• Innovate to support access to training and sustainable employment for disadvantaged groups, and plan for post-Games employment to secure long-term benefits. Programmes such as From Stadium to Employment (Du Stade vers l’Emploi) and Paris: Everyone in the Games (Paris Tous en Jeux) illustrate innovation in recruitment and tailored support for individuals distant from the labour market, by offering reinforced pathways into training and sustainable employment. Post-Games initiatives such as My Job after the Games (Mon métier après les Jeux) facilitated professional transitions and supported job retention in critical sectors such as security.

• Strengthen the event sector to maximise longer term employment opportunities. While France’s planning and delivery of the other major sporting events in the lead up to the Games started to build an events ecosystem, there is scope for closer and more systematic co-operation between major events - whether sporting, cultural or business. Shared strategies and co-ordinated action across events can build structured pathways enabling workers to transition from one event to another and to develop and maintain their skills. Such collaborations work well when they go beyond event-specific companies and infrastructure providers and extend to broader sectoral partnerships.

Paris 2024 provided a unique opportunity to support local economic ecosystems, particularly the SMEs, and actors in the circular, social and solidarity economy (SSE). The Paris 2024 experience offers useful lessons for event organisers and policymakers in the fields of SME and SSE support and procurement policy:

• Support SME and SSE access to public procurement through information and capacity building. The Entreprises 2024 and ESS 2024 platforms played a central role in supporting SMEs and SSE by improving access to public procurement opportunities and integrating them into the broader Games ecosystem.

• Strengthen the contribution of independent SMEs. Building on the mechanisms developed for Paris 2024, there is clear potential to enhance access for independent SMEs (as opposed to subsidiaries or subcontractors) to large public contracts, enabling them to play a more substantial role in future events and in broader procurement markets.

• Consider introducing a minimum share of suppliers from the SSE. Building on Paris 2024 successes there is scope to consider introducing a minimum share of suppliers from SSE in all contracts related to public events in France, while respecting competition rules and State aid directives. Internationally, future major events could benefit from setting specific and distinct targets for circular, social and solidarity economy actors. This approach is consistent with the OECD global events impact assessment indicators, which recommend more precise and targeted benchmarks to promote inclusive and sustainable outcomes.

• Leverage procurement opportunities beyond economic impact. For many smaller enterprises, the Games provided more than just commercial opportunities - they served as a platform to boost visibility and credibility. By demonstrating the feasibility of innovative solutions at scale, several SMEs gained valuable experience and recognition. Future organisers could emphasise the reputational and experiential benefits of participation for both private sector and SSE stakeholders.

A proactive and co-ordinated environmental ambition in public procurement

The environmental footprint of large-scale events calls for a fundamental rethinking of delivery strategies. In line with the IOC’s Agenda 2020+5, Paris 2024 was the first Olympic edition to be both designed and delivered with environmental performance as a core organising principle. This approach provides the following key lessons for future event organisers:

• Translate strong environmental ambitions into concrete procurement actions. From the outset, Paris 2024 and SOLIDEO communicated their responsible and sustainable procurement strategy to the private sector, sending a strong signal regarding the environmental ambition of the Games. Guided by two pillars - “doing more with less” and “doing better” - this ambition was embedded in day-to-day procurement practices, helping to mainstream environmental performance across supply chains.

• Make environmental performance a decisive factor in contract awards. Public procurement was identified as a key lever for reducing the carbon footprint of the event. Paris 2024 introduced dedicated environmental and social criteria into all tenders exceeding EUR 1 million. Environmental benefits became a determining factor in contract awards, with an average weighting of around 20%, and up to 30% in some cases - placing environmental considerations at the heart of procurement decisions.

• Engage the full procurement ecosystem in delivering shared environmental goals. This approach enabled Paris 2024 to mobilise all actors in the procurement chain - contracting authorities, project sponsors and suppliers - around a shared objective to reduce the environmental footprint of infrastructure, goods and services. Procurement-related activities accounted for 37% of the event’s total carbon footprint, and the associated purchasing strategies played a major role in achieving a 50% reduction in emissions compared to the London and Rio editions. This success was made possible by moving from a traditional, compliance-driven relationship between public authorities and suppliers to one based on trust and joint commitment.

Maximising the social impact of the Games for health and inclusion

Major events can support health and inclusion goals by addressing a wide range of structural and socio-economic barriers, including a lack of community sports infrastructure, urban design that discourages active mobility, limited accessibility for persons with disabilities, and other constraints that limit participation in physical activity. Paris 2024 implemented a broad and co-ordinated set of initiatives aligned with national policy to maximise long-term outcomes. The experience offers the following lessons for future organisers and related policies:

• Balance the use of existing and temporary venues with targeted investment in underserved areas. The Aquatics Centre in Seine-Saint-Denis - one of only two permanent sports venues built for the Games - brings lasting benefits to a department where sports infrastructure was previously insufficient and swimming proficiency among children was low. Beyond competition venues, the Games accelerated the development of active mobility and leisure infrastructure, including the opening of public bathing areas in the Seine and Marne from 2025. Nationally, the “5 000 Local Sports Facilities – Generation 2024” programme, led by the National Sports Agency, is funding the renovation and construction of community sports infrastructure, particularly in underserved areas, and will continue after the Games.

• Improve accessibility for persons with disabilities. Paris 2024 ensured that venues were designed with inclusivity in mind and delivered fully accessible accommodation in the Athletes’ Village. The Games significantly improved the accessibility of public transport, with 240 stations adapted, fully accessible bus and tram fleets, and 1 000 adapted taxis. The “Inclusive Clubs” programme, which continues beyond the Games, strengthens the capacity of local clubs across France to welcome people with disabilities.

• Design physical activity programmes with long-term sustainability in mind. A core objective of Paris 2024’s Impact and Legacy Strategy was to help increase physical activity levels and combat sedentary behaviour. The vision focused on enabling participation for all, across all ages, through the mobilisation of cross-sector public policies. A flagship legacy initiative - the introduction of 30 minutes of daily physical activity in primary schools - was adopted to reduce inactivity among children. By 2024, 42% of primary schools had implemented this measure.

• Ensure stable funding and a systemic approach to promoting physical activity. OECD and WHO research confirms that promoting physical activity requires a long-term, multisectoral and well-funded approach. Future policies should avoid reliance on one-off funding or pilot projects, and instead invest in a coherent framework that supports sustained engagement in physical activity across the population.

The Cultural Olympiad: Advancing the intersection of sport and culture

Integrating cultural programming into major events helps broaden audiences, bridge sport, culture and society, and highlight the host country’s heritage. However, doing so also presents challenges: ensuring accessibility, co-ordinating cultural and sporting actors, and embedding culture within long-term legacy strategies. Paris 2024 addressed these challenges through an innovative and inclusive approach involving a wide diversity of venues, artists and institutions. The experience offers several takeaways for future event organisers and cultural and sports policymakers:

• Leverage the sport-culture nexus to reach wider audiences and maximise social impact. The Cultural Olympiad, opening and closing ceremonies, and the cultural programmes of Paris and other territories illustrated how sport and culture can be combined to engage diverse audiences, foster civic participation, and celebrate artistic and cultural heritage. Competitions outside stadiums and in iconic public spaces helped bring the Games into the heart of cities and introduced new audiences to cultural experiences.

• Integrate culture fully into impact and legacy strategies. While Paris 2024, along with the Cities of Paris and Marseille, made notable efforts to evaluate the Cultural Olympiad, future hosts could go further by embedding culture into the overall legacy strategy to enhance coherence and ensure alignment with other impact areas. The current lack of standardised evaluation criteria for the Cultural Olympiad points to the need for clearer indicators to measure cultural outcomes. The IOC and the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage as well as the OECD could provide valuable support by offering guidance and disseminating good practices in this area.