Paris 2024 has raised over $2 million in a sponsorship deal with French lottery company La Française des Jeux (FDJ) giving it a “headline association” with the capital’s bid to host the Olympic Games.
FDJ becomes the first major sponsor for the bid, and under the terms of a new fundraising campaign just launched by Paris 2024 the organization has chosen to link its promotion with “Women in Sport.”
The new fundraising push by Paris 2024 offers companies headline status and “ownership” of a specific Olympism theme in exchange for contributions of about $2 million. Bid officials claim the new program is a major boost to its campaign.
Etienne Thobois, Chief Executive of Paris 2024 said, “Paris 2024 is delighted to launch its new sponsorship program today and we are thrilled to have La Francaise des Jeux as our inaugural partner.”
“The support of FDJ, who has a long tradition and history working with Olympic and Paralympic sports, will make a valuable contribution to our bid.”
Paris 2024 has set a budget goal of about $60 million of which $30 million will be contributed from public funds. The balance must be raised through private sponsorships or donations. A crowdfunding campaign launched late last year failed to recruit private donors as was hoped, leaving a significant budget gap
In comparison, Budapest’s bid is supported by the equivalent of $52 million in Hungarian government funding and reportedly Los Angeles quickly received private financial support shortly after the bid was launched.
Additionally the bid and FDJ have designed a new Paris 2024 lottery scratch card that will be distributed at the start of 2017.
“I want to thank La Francaise des Jeux for their committed partnership and we now look forward to announcing further Paris 2024 sponsors who will each help to promote sport to the public in France and provide support for our campaign to become the 2024 Olympic Host City,” Thobois said.
Paris is competing with Budapest, Rome and Los Angeles for the Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will select the host city in September 2017.
