France: the City of Paris wants to build arena of 7000 to 8000 seats near Bercy, in south-east Paris

The City of Paris wants to build a 7,000-8,000-seater stadium close to the AccorHotels Arena (adjustable seating; 15,000 to 20,300 seats) in district of Bercy (12^th arrondissement, Paris), announced Jean-François Martins, assistant the mayor of Paris in charge of Sports and Tourism, on 25/01/2016.

"We need a stadium with a capacity that is between the Stade Pierre de Coubertin (3,400 seats) and the Accorhotels Arena. The idea is to create a 7,000-8,000 capacity stadium, perfect for hosting handball and basketball matches. With the rise of these sports and and one of the best handball clubs in Europe (Paris Saint-Germain), a stadium is needed, for Paris, but also for France. The intermediate sports federations, which do not have the capability to fill Bercy, need it. This is was also the case for the Yonex Badminton French Open which was crammed into the Coubertin," explained Jean-François Martins. The stadium, which already figures in the plans of Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, aims to meet the expectations and needs of sports clubs, including handball, basketball, and the…