Paris 2024 Olympic Games: “Escrimée”, “Alexandre Dumarathon”, “Trocanoë”… when the Paris metro stations change their names for April 1

Une surprise pour les usagers en ce 1er avril. – RATP

Around ten Paris metro stations saw their names change on Monday and were given nicknames in reference to Olympic and Paralympic disciplines, a nod to the occasion of April 1, noted the' #39;AFP.

Trocadéro thus became "Trocanoë", trading his oars for paddles, Alexandre Dumas became "Alexandre Dumarathon", enjoying the epic breath of the adventures of his musketeers , who would certainly have gone with pleasure to cross swords at the Crimea station, now "Escrimée", if they had had a Navigo pass.

Handisport has not been forgotten, with the Avron station transformed into "Para Aviron" and the Daumesnil station converted to "Taekwondo Mesnil", but also to "Para Taekwondo Mesnil". "Victor-Hugo" transformed into "Victor Judo", while "Sèvres-Babylone" was changed to "Sèvres-Badminton". The "Solférino" has, for its part, taken the surname of "Surférino"

"A wink for the Olympic week which is starting"

These puns were deployed during the night from Sunday to Monday, exclusively on the platforms, on every other panel, so as not to unduly disorient tourists and, more generally, travelers less familiar with the network, indicated the RATP . The approach sparked a few smiles among passengers on Monday, AFP noted, at least when they noticed it, April Fool's Day being relatively discreet.

"It's the occasion of April 1st, but it's also to give a wink ;look at the Olympic week which begins", indicated the Régie. Following the designation of Paris as host city for the Games in 2024, an Olympic and Paralympic week is organized each year by the Ministry of National Education in partnership with the French sports movement.

The 2024 vintage starts Tuesday, until April 6. The operation will only last as long as April Fool's Day, said the RATP.

The Régie des transports parisiens is accustomed to this type of wink: for example, it renamed the Opéra station as "Apéro" for another April 1, and renamed the Bercy station “Bercy les Bleus”, to celebrate the victory of the French football team in the World Cup, in 2018.