Eurostar celebrates the first team GB athletes heading to Paris 2024 Olympics Games

Eurostar, the high-speed rail service across Europe, celebrated the first of Team GB’s departure for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Departing on one of Eurostar’s Golden Trains were the Archery, Boxing and Gymnastics teams. The qualified Team GB athletes included boxer Delicious Orie, London-born triple gold medallist gymnast Max Whitlock, and archer Bryony Pitman, returning for her second Games after Tokyo 2020.

As the official travel partner for Team GB and ParalympicsGB for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Eurostar is set to welcome over 2,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes on board from four teams: Team GB, Team Belgium, Team Netherlands, and Team Germany. The partnership will help teams and visitors in reducing their carbon footprint by up to 96% according to a study by EcoRes in 2023.

Lewis Richardson, one of the Team GB boxers, said: “I am super excited to get out to Paris now and have a great Team GB preparation camp. Currently, I am filled with overwhelming emotions of pride and gratitude for the opportunities provided as well as the hard work I’ve put in. My real focus is being present and enjoying the moment.”

Excited staff then greeted the first of the athletes on the platform and handed out Team GB-inspired posies for good luck, before the athletes boarded the Golden Train, setting their sights firmly on the Paris 2025 Games.

Gwendoline Cazenave, CEO of Eurostar, added: “We’re here to celebrate Team GB who have chosen Eurostar as their means to travel for these incredible games.  We are proud to partner with both Team GB and Paralympics GB, as this event marks a significant milestone in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. I can’t wait to see athletes compete and am confident our trains will come back heavier with medals, memories and the pure joy from competing”.

Two golden-wrapped trains are travelling across the Eurostar network to honour the ambitions for the 2024 Games and special Olympic-themed chocolates and cocktails will be available in the Business Premier lounges in Paris and London.

The cocktails on offer include:

• Martinez (France): a must-try for fans of a traditional dry martini but with a sweet tooth, a heady mix of gin, sweet and dry vermouth, maraschino liqueur and bitters
• The Old Smoke (Great Britain): smokey and sophisticated, oak-smoked English vodka, vermouth and scotch lend this classy cocktail an essence of burning log fires and smouldering coals
• Les Marolles (Belgium): a classic bone-dry combination of gin and vermouth with olive brine and an olive garnish adding a pleasingly savoury character to this dirty martini
• Vesper (The Netherlands): athletes and customers can channel their inner Bond with this shaken-not-stirred wet martini made with Dutch vodka, Bols Genever and Lillet Blanc, finished with a twist of lemon
• Schwarzwald (Germany): this tasty tipple is as refreshing as a Black Forest rain shower, with a tangy mix of botanical gin, dry vermouth, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, and simple syrup

This collaboration highlights Eurostar’s dedication to sustainability and excellence in travel, ensuring athletes and customers experienced a medal-worthy journey.