If you were watching the pole vault, steeplechase, 100 meter sprint, or any of the other events at the Paris Olympics, you might have noticed that the Olympic tracks looked a little… odd. And it’s not just your TV screen that’s weird; the surface is really purple.
Specifically, two different shades of purple: The organizers opted for a delicate lavender for the areas where the athletes will compete, and a deeper purple for the technical areas (plus a lovely complementary shade of gray as an accent color, evoking the asphalt track used at the last Olympic Games, held in Paris in 1924).
PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 4, 2024: A panoramic view of athletes lining up on the starting block before the start of the Men’s 100m Final on day 9 of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Paris, France. (Photo by Michael Reeves/Getty Images)Michael Reeves/Getty Images
Why is the track purple (instead of the more common red or blue)? It’s mostly a question of aesthetics: the organizers wanted the Paris track to stand out. In fact, it was the first time that a track of this color was featured in an Olympic competition. ReportsThe colour, unveiled a few months before the Olympics, was chosen by Paris officials in accordance with the requirements of World Athletics and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), the bodies responsible for producing Olympic and Paralympic broadcasts, and Italian company Mondo was commissioned for its construction.
Another factor influenced the decision: the viewing experience. According to Olympics.com, the purple track matches the screen well and has better contrast, allowing viewers to see more detail in the action.
TOP SHOT – Athletes compete during the women’s 1500m qualifying race for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 6, 2024. (Photo by Antonin Thurier/AFP) (Photo by Antonin Thurier/AFP via Getty Images)Antonin Thuillier/Getty Images
“We had to work hard on the colours to make sure they would highlight the athletes. It is a track so it has to be beautiful, but above all it is a stage on which the athletes will perform. It is really important that the colours and the athletes stand out,” said Alain Blondel, Paris 2024’s manager of athletics and para-athletics. olympics.com In April.
And while it may be wishful thinking, I’d like to believe there’s another explanation: symbolism — after all, purple is the color traditionally associated with kings and queens, and Olympians are nothing less than sporting royalty.
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