Like any collective catering, that of the Olympic village of Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) and its 40,000 daily meals does not escape criticism. The subject just takes on particular relevance as soon as an international star sets foot in the dish. “It's not really French cuisine in the village like you can eat outside,” explained American gymnast Simone Biles on Tuesday, looking slightly crestfallen, just after her team gold medal. Way to point out the gap with the great Parisian restaurants. Her teammate, Hezly Rivera, 16, is even more prickly: “I don't think the food is very good here,” says the teenager from New Jersey. French cuisine is supposed to be good... But what we have here, I'm not sure it's the best. » Same story in the mouth of the reigning Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs: “I arrived at the Olympic village on Tuesday. I was able to soak up the atmosphere, it's very different from Tokyo where everything was closed, it's nice... The food, no, but the atmosphere was very nice.
For Mounia and Haifa, Sunday walks have changed a lot. Since the start of the Games, mother and daughter have now toured the Olympic sites in Saint-Denis. This July 28, local residents are stationed in front of the entrance to the athletes' village, hoping to see French athletes. “We live right next door. We were curious to see what it looked like ,” explains Mounia, 40 years old. The two women were not disappointed. About ten minutes later, Antoine Dupont and his teammates from the French rugby sevens team, Olympic champions, returned to the village to the applause of a few onlookers. “It’s crazy to see that!” , enthuses Haifa, 70 years old. Athletes, their teams and volunteers roam the streets around the site en masse. More than 14,000 athletes reside in the village during the Olympics, and another 9,000 will be hosted during the Paralympics. Without them, the streets would be empty. A large part of the inhabitants have deserted the city and the companies which energize the district have encouraged teleworking. Despite everything, the fervor for the Olympics is found among the few local residents we meet. They say they are delighted with this cohabitation. The flags hung on the balconies show that this excitement has reached homes. Palestine, Turkey, Spain, France, Algeria, Cuba, Haiti, Guinea... so many flags that reflect the cultural diversity of Saint-Denis.
