Having been closed since April, it is now ready for its upgrade.

Now, parts of the interior structure are to be dismantled including walls and ceilings before the installation of the new Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, laid the first stone.

Also attending were Mayor of Colombes, Patrick Chaimovitch; vice-president of the Departmental Council in charge of Sports, Daniel Courtès; the prefect of Hauts-de-Seine, Laurent Hottiaux; the deputy general manager of the Olympic Works Delivery Company, Marion Le Paul; as well as swimmers Camille Lacourt and Alex Portal.

Oudéa-Castéra stressed the importance of the Games creating urban redevelopment.

"The Games are a transformative force like no other for the territories," said the Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"History, in particular in Colombes, which in 1924 became Olympic City, is there to remind us of this.

"These Games must be useful to our country by bequeathing a lasting heritage, material, but also immaterial, by placing the practice of sport at the heart of our daily life."

Part of these renovations will see the centre receive a new paddling pool and two new slides as well.

A weights room, a clubhouse and more administrative space to hold meetings are to be added too.

According to the Arcos Architecture agency, the total budget for the redevelopment is €57.6 million (£49.8 million/$59.1 million).

Colombes, a commune 10 kilometres away from the centre of Paris, is also to host hockey tournaments at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium, the main venue for the 1924 Games.