LGCT Paris 2015. Ph ©Erin Gilmore/NoelleFloyd.com
News broke today that the Longines Global Champions Tour of Paris will remain on the 2016 LGCT calendar from July 1st – 3rd, albeit with a location change. The show, known as Longines Paris Eiffel Jumping, has been held at the stunning Champs Du Mars location in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower since 2014.
But this year the 2016 UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial men’s football championship, caused a scheduling conflict. A village for the Euro 2016 will be under construction on that site during the first week of July, forcing LGCT Paris to relocate to the 16th arrondissement of Paris, closer to the business center of the city. The new location, the Plaine de jeux de Bagatelle, offers more space and will allow the main arena to be larger, at 90×50 meters.
Free bleachers and access will still be available to spectators, and the site, which lies just outside the main Paris ring, is accessible by the Metro and train. Paris Jumping Eiffel is slated to return to its Champs Du Mars location in 2017.
This answers the question of whether or not the Paris leg of the LGCT circuit would remain on the 2016 calendar. With the addition of a LGCT Mexico stop, one of the existing legs had to be cut from the calendar, as the LGCT is allowed a maximum of 15 stops. LGCT London will be on hiatus this year.