UAE Olympic House Celebrates Everything Emirati in the Heart of Paris

The UAE National Olympic Committee has launched ‘UAE House’ in Paris, inviting visitors at the Olympic Games to experience the country’s rich culture and hospitality in its many forms. The space features five different rooms celebrating different aspects of the UAE, from its natural heritage and pearl-diving history to the spirit of sporting and culinary culture. 

At the heart of UAE House is the Emirates’ deep-seated culture of hospitality; guests are greeted with fragrant Arabic coffee and dates as they enter the exhibition, emulating the feeling of a traditional ‘shaabi’ Emirati home, built around a central courtyard. Transporting visitors away from the puddle-filled streets of Paris, UAE House is a serene, Majlis-style space, with displays showing the UAE’s history of pearl-diving, camel racing, and falconry, as well as cycling and football. 

The exhibition celebrates the country’s more recent sporting successes, with displays on sport shooter Sheikh Ahmad bin Hasher - the UAE’s first Olympic gold medalist - and Safia al Sayegh - the first female cyclist from the Gulf region to compete in the Olympics - taking centre stage amongst six other Emirati sporting stars.

UAE House also includes an area for play, with digital recreations of century-old games from the UAE to entertain visitors of all ages, as well as a collaboration with top French cooking school Ecole Ducasse, showcasing the best of French-UAE fusion cuisine such as a dish of French foie gras, date paste, and balsamic panna cotta, and chocolate with the cardamom and saffron flavours of Arabic coffee. 

UAE House is located at 46 Rue Cambon near Place de la Concorde, and is open to the public until August 11th from 10 AM to 8 PM daily. Entrance is free.