Why the tracks at the Paris 2024 Olympics are purple

The athletics track at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics has departed from tradition, featuring a distinctive purple color instead of the usual red.

This design choice aligns with the event's official colors, which include purple, blue, and green, creating a visually cohesive palette across all competition venues.

Aesthetic and symbolic choice

The purple track is part of a broader effort to make the games visually unique and memorable. 

According to Alain Blondel, the sports manager overseeing athletics at the Games and a former Olympic decathlete, the aim was to create something different and maintain the creative approach of the Organising Committee. 

The track design includes lavender for the main running surface, darker purple for service areas, and gray for the exterior curves, the latter reminiscent of ash-colored tracks from a century ago.

Sustainability

Beyond aesthetics, the track at the Paris Olympics stands out for its sustainable construction. The material used in the track is made from recycled bivalve mollusk shells, such as those from mussels and clams, sourced from the Mediterranean Sea. 

These shells, usually discarded as waste, provided a sustainable source of calcium carbonate, essential for building resilient flooring like running tracks.

Traditionally, the production of running tracks involves mining for calcium carbonate, a process that generates significant carbon emissions and waste. By using shells, the new track reduces the environmental impact, reflecting a broader trend in the sports industry towards ecological sustainability.

Innovative collaboration

The track was developed through a collaboration between Mondo, the company responsible for its construction, and Nieddittas, an Italian fishing cooperative. The process involved collecting, cleaning, and drying the shells, which were then ground into a fine powder and transformed into track material at Mondo's manufacturing facility. This innovation took three years of research and development to ensure the track met the high standards required for Olympic competition.

Paris 2024's ambitious environmental goals

The purple track is a part of the Paris Olympics' ambitious target to halve the Games' carbon footprint compared to previous editions, capping emissions at 1.75 million tonnes of CO2. This goal includes maximizing the use of existing venues, relying on renewable energy, and reducing waste, along with eco-friendly innovations like the sustainable track.

Looking ahead

The new athletics track at the Paris Olympics measures 17,000 square metres and has a lifespan of ten years. As the track events begin on August 1, anticipation is high for record-breaking performances on this state-of-the-art, environmentally conscious track. 

In summary, the purple track at the Paris 2024 Olympics is a striking symbol of the event's commitment to sustainability and innovation, promising to be a memorable stage for athletic excellence.