Paris is full of iconic venues. From the Parc de Prince to the Stade de France, Paris has hosted some great sporting moments but no venue in the French capital is as historic as Roland Garros.
The tennis venue is the host of one of Tennis' Grand Slams, the French Open and has been where some of tennis's greats like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have been victorious.
However now the venue could be host to a moment of Irish sporting history next week, but not in a sport you'd expect.
Kellie Harrington reached her second consecutive Olympics final on Saturday night after a split decision victory over Brazil's Beatriz Ferreira in the semifinals. Harrington was emotional after the victory and now moves onto the final which will take place at Roland Garros.
3 August 2024; Kellie Harrington of Team Ireland celebrates defeating Beatriz Soares Ferreira of Team Brazil during their women's 60kg semi-final bout at the Paris North Arena during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Why is Kellie Harrington's Gold Medal Fight Taking Place at Roland Garros?
All of the Gold Medal Boxing fights at the Paris Olympics games will take place on the Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland Garros between August 6-10.
All the previous bouts took place at the Arena Paris Nord venue but after the conclusion of the Tennis events at the Olympics on August 4th, Roland Garros will be transformed into an appropriate boxing arena.
The court was first built nearly 100 years ago in 1927 but recent renovations, including a retractable roof on Court Philippe-Chatrier has made hosting the Boxing Gold Medals bouts a possibility. The venue will be able to host 15,000 spectators at the Games.
It will host the 13 Gold Medal bouts including Kellie Harrington's bout against China's Yang Wenlu in the 60kg category.
It's not the first time the tennis court has hosted boxing as several fights involving French boxers have taken place there dating as far back as 1946. Most recently 2016 Olympic Super-Heavyweight gold medalist Tony Yoka was victorious after knocking out Peter Milas at Roland Garros in 2021.
It's been a historic Olympics so far for Team Ireland and with Harrrington already guaranteed silver, it will be another day to remember for Irish fans.
