A FICCI Sports Committee delegation visited Paris and Marseille with Business France to study Olympic legacy, sports infrastructure, governance, and fan engagement. The tour explored sustainable venue management, post-Olympics utilization, and international partnerships. FICCI will publish a white paper on French Olympic legacy and host a French delegation in India during FICCI TURF 2026.

Paris: FICCI Sports Committee comprising of over 20 delegates representing India’s Sports industry jointly with Business France recently visited Paris and Marseilles to engage with leading experts in the industry across business and governance.   

The visit to the Marseilles Velodrome football stadium was a lesson in maximizing sports infrastructure for sustainability and smart deployment. The historic stadium founded in 1937 is now home to key football games played in the region as well as popular concerts and cultural events during off season. There was also discussion on best practices in fan engagement while the game may be only played for a few hours, the end-to-end fan experience in the form of a day-long carnival supplemented with digital engagement. 

The Delegation was hosted by the Consul General of India in Marseilles who introduced the members to key local businesses actively engaged in the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in 2030.

The Delegation also visited Nautical Stadium where the Paris Olympics Sailing events were hosted as well as the Cercle des Nageurs de Marseille swim center. Interaction with the local experts led to a deeper understanding of operations of facilities developed for the Olympics and repurpose the same for commercial sustenance and utilization post the games as well.