Paris’s Louvre museum plans to organize yoga and sports classes in its famous galleries as part of a city-wide cultural program ahead of the Olympics.
The world’s largest museum will offer visitors the opportunity to participate in dance, yoga and exercise classes with instructors and instructors while admiring its world-famous paintings and sculptures.
The announcement was one of several made on Tuesday aimed at stoking Olympic enthusiasm ahead of the Games opening in Paris on July 26.
“The Louvre is actually in the center of Paris. It will be the physical center of the Olympics,” said Laurence des Cars, the museum’s director.
For more information about special sessions and the museum’s new Olympics-themed exhibition, visit its website.
The opening ceremony will be held on the Seine River, which flows through the Louvre Museum. A temporary stadium to host skateboarding and breakdancing competitions is being built at nearby Place de la Concorde. The Olympic flame will also be burned in the neighboring Tuileries Gardens, security sources told AFP.
Four other art destinations, including the Musée d’Orsay, home to Impressionist masterpieces, will also host Olympic-related sporting or cultural events.
Also on Tuesday, Paris City Hall unveiled plans for public sports facilities, concerts and open-air fan zones around the City of Lights during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In addition to two special celebration zones in central and northeastern Paris, 26 fan zones will be set up around the capital, where medal winners will be encouraged to greet the public.
“For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the host city is committed to creating a People’s Games where people can share the Olympic enthusiasm not only at the competition venues, but also outside the stadiums, in the city center and in every district,” the mayor’s office said.
The regional transportation authority also debuted its new Olympic Transportation mobile app on Tuesday.
Visitors to Paris will be encouraged to use the Transport public Paris 2024 app, which will use real-time traffic information and user numbers to guide them to their Olympic destinations.
The developer said the proposed route would not necessarily be the “shortest or fastest” but would be the most appropriate and ensure travelers have access to different transportation options.
Overcrowding on the Paris metro network is a particular concern ahead of the Olympics, with local politicians urging Parisians to walk or use bicycles.
The first Olympic Games in a century will be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11, followed by the Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8.
