The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Bid Committee Thursday outlined fundamental pillars of its legacy program at a presentation in Paris where plans were set out that will help ensure that Paris 2024 would be “a celebration of sport with a purpose for the whole of France for 2024 and beyond.”
A year-long public consultation process resulted in the development of three legacy initiatives inspired by the Games that included input from artists, journalists, entrepreneurs, athletes, students, climatologists, international federations and the public.
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At the heart of the bid are three key legacy initiatives:
A better, more inclusive society through sport
o Playdagogie is a joint initiative between Play International and Paris 2024 that will become embedded into French primary schools and encourages children to learn through sport – already over 1 million children have benefited from the initiative
o The Olympic and Paralympic Schools Week has already been added to the French national curriculum, celebrating Olympic and Paralympic values and encouraging children to get active.
o Paris 2024 will help to fund NGOs that are helping to build a more inclusive, diverse and sustainable France.
Infrastructure regeneration
o The Olympic Village will be based in Seine-Saint-Denis, one of Paris’ more diverse regions, and will rejuvenate the area, bringing more housing and employment opportunities to those who need it.
o Across the whole French territory, more than 16,000 schools will benefit from better sporting facilities, with 100 million euros to be spent on upgrading sports equipment and facilities
A Games for the environment
o The Games will be the first to be fully aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement, and will have 55% less carbon emissions than London 2012, making it the greenest Games in history.
o Paris 2024 will help to fund NGOs and will continue to partner with schemes such as WWF France on its greener world initiatives.
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Paris 2024 bid co-chairman Tony Estanguet, said Thursday “from the beginning of our bid, our ambition has been to offer a project that will leave a sustainable legacy for the 2024 generations, in France and worldwide. We want our Games to be first and foremost a legacy for the future.
“Organizing the Olympic and Paralympic games would enable us to use sport as a vehicle for social change, by developing sports facilities nationwide and by embedding Olympic values in the next generation of athletes.”
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said “the Olympic and Paralympic Games are a tremendous driving force for environmental and social progress. The Paris 2024 project will accelerate our plans to protect natural resources and limit greenhouse gas emissions, in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement.
“Paris 2024 carries a positive vision, it is a message of hope for all younger generations that the protection of our planet is a priority.”
Paris is bidding against rival Los Angeles to host the 2024 Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will select the winning city September 13 in Lima, Peru.
