The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission (EC) has scheduled on-site visits to Los Angeles, Budapest and Paris – the three cities vying to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The three-day meetings are organized to inspect plans, venues and infrastructure as well as discuss key elements contained in the three volumes of bid books that will have already been handed over to the EC, the final volume due February 3,
The meetings dates are set by the IOC and occur in an order that follow the random drawing of lots held last year. Los Angeles is the first city to receive the 14-member evaluation team led by Namibia’s Frank Fredericks, but up to 20 delegates could arrive as part of the inspection team.
The team will tour venues in Southern California from April 23 to 25 before they cross the ocean and evaluate Budapest from May 10 to 12 and then Paris from May 14 to 16.
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Following cost-cutting measures introduced for the bid process as part of the Olympic Agenda 2020 set of reforms, the IOC covers the costs of travel by EC members as well as accommodation, food, beverages and other items. The three remaining cities in the race, however, have paid USD $250,000 in application fees to be applied to the total costs.
The evaluation team also provides a basic conference room set-up that is identical for each city – a process that started with the 2022 Olympic Winter Games bid won by Beijing. In the past, bids have designed elaborate and costly showcase-style conference rooms and were eager to parade international photographers through the facility to capture the setting.
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Composition of 2024 Olympic Bid Evaluation Commission
Chair
Frank FREDERICKS
Members
Patrick BAUMANN
Marisol CASADO
Mikaela COJUANGCO JAWORSKI
Kirsty COVENTRY
Nawal EL MOUTAWAKEL
Ugur ERDENER
Habu GUMEL
Poul-Erik HØYER
Duane KALE
Gunilla LINDBERG
Kereyn SMITH
Bernard RAJZMAN
Tsunekazu TAKEDA
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In the past it has been customary for bid teams to organize a gala evening where Evaluation Commission members are treated to dinner and a cultural pageant, often attended by dignitaries and state officials. Whether this practice will continue has yet to be confirmed.
Ahead of the visits an IOC assigned photographer will travel to the city and capture photos of venues and proposed sites.
After the visits the EC will produce a report outlining findings based on the visits and the submitted plans, and publish it in June – ahead of technical briefings to be held at IOC headquarters in Lausanne in July.
Fredericks, the four-time Olympic silver medalist from the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, and former Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, was previously a member of the Evaluation Commissions for the 2012 and 2020 Olympic Games.
The remaining members of the 2024 Evaluation Commission have been selected across various areas of expertise to examine the candidate cities hoping to host the Games. IOC Members Nawal El Moutawakel, Takeda Tsunekazu and Gunilla Lindberg have previous experience chairing evaluation commissions in recent years and are set to contribute to the process once again. Other members of the panel are Olympians and heads of International Sport Federations.
The IOC will elect the winning host city at tits all-members session to be held September 13 in Lima, Peru.
