Paris’ bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games said Monday that “positive feedback [has been] offered on Paris’ compact Games Plan and international event hosting expertise,” and hailed the meetings a success.
Thanks to Olympic bid changes brought on by the introduction of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Agenda 2020 reforms, Paris 2024 officials have been meeting with International Federations (IF) since October to discuss all elements of Games planning. According to the bid, with the IF’s Paris has been able to highlight the city’s ultra compact elements of Games planning, the city’s ultra-compact venue concept, the new Olympic and Paralympic Village plan, accommodation for athletes and IF officials, competition schedules and transportation.
The meetings and visits were in addition to previous IF discussions held at SportAccord 2016 in Lausanne and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
The visits were led by Paris 2024 bid leaders including Co-Chairmen Tony Estanguet and Bernard Lapasset, CEO Etienne Thobois, and Sports Director Jean-Phillipe Gatien, and featured cultural elements including a visit to the top of the iconic Eiffel Tower.
Meetings were also supported by City and Region officials which, according to Paris 2024, affirms how the bid committee, national federations and local and national governments are working in total unity to create the ideal Games concept.
According to Paris 2024 its compact, city-centre Games plan will see 85 per cent of athletes located within 30 minutes of their competition venue, ensuring the best conditions for IF operations and for the athletes. Paris and France’s expertise in hosting major sport events was also a key part of the feedback with the city having staged more than 40 major international events since 2010.
Estanguet said “the IF consultation program has been an extremely valuable addition to the campaign process and I would like to thank every single IF for taking the time to discuss our plans in detail, provide excellent feedback, and, in many cases, visit us here in Paris.”
“I would also like to thank the French athletes and National Federation representatives who provided excellent support during the visits.”
Gatien outlined the city’s sport resume and explained “Paris and France has an extremely strong hosting track record delivering many major international Olympic and Paralympic sport events including the Tour de France, French Open Tennis, the 1998 FIFA World Cup, 2003 IAAF World Championships, 2007 Rugby World Cup, 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships, 2015 World Rowing Championships, Eurobasket 2015, and of course EURO 2016.”
“France’s expertise in this area was a very positive part of the visit demonstrating the country’s highly professional approach to major event management, our nation’s love of sport and the strong relationships already in place with IFs.”
Paris is competing with Los Angeles and Budapest to host the 2024 Olympics. The winning city will be selected by the IOC September 13 at an all-members session in Lima, Peru.
