Productive First Visit for Paris Mayor to IOC Headquarters

(ATR) Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo made her first trip to Lausanne to meet with IOC president Thomas Bach and further discuss the French capital city’s candidature to host the 2024 Olympic Games.

Hidalgo was accompanied by Paris 2024 co-presidents Bernard Lapasset and Tony Estanguet, along with French NOC president Denis Masseglia, director general Etienne Thobois, IOC member Guy Drut and Olympic bronze medalist Muriel Hurtis-Houairi. The French delegation traveled by train from Gare de Lyon to Lausanne on Friday morning.

Bach welcomed Hidalgo and the delegation, praising the work of the Paris 2024 bid team thus far.

"We feel that the Paris candidature is really unified – your file is solid and your approach is in line with the principles of Olympic Agenda 2020, especially with regard to sustainability and legacy," Bach said. "I congratulate you on all the work you’ve accomplished so far."

Hidalgo’s trip to IOC headquarters concludes a cycle of official visits by each Candidate City to meet with Bach in Lausanne. It was confirmed that the IOC president will travel to Paris in October and complete his own round of visits to the four candidate cities, having already met with Los Angeles, Budapest and Rome bid leaders.

"I was delighted to meet with President Bach today and hear his thoughts on how our Paris 2024 bid is progressing," Hidalgo said. "This was also an excellent opportunity to share Paris’ vision and ambition to deliver a spectacular Games in 2024 that will place sport and Olympism at the very heart of the city and across France.

"I look forward to working closely with my Paris 2024 colleagues to now take our bid to the next stage of the campaign," said the Paris Mayor. "Our close collaboration is a great asset for our bid that underlines the unity between the city and the sports movement."

Paris 2024 co-president Bernard Lapasset, who stepped down from his role as World Rugby chairman yesterday, added: "We are very pleased with the way our bid is evolving and we greatly value the opportunity to sense check our plans with the IOC and gain invaluable feedback at every opportunity.

"It is a great honor for me to dedicate my full time to the Paris 2024 bid," Lapasset said of his resignation as rugby chief. "I had the joy of leading rugby’s successful campaign to become an Olympic sport and I hope now my bid colleagues and I can deliver the same success for Paris 2024."

The new candidature process, in accordance with the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, now moves to stage two as all 2024 candidate cities are scheduled to meet in Lausanne for individual workshops, July 12-15.

Stage two of the bid process, led by Olympic Candidatures associate director Jacqueline Barrett, will focus on governance and legal matters, venue funding and finances, and marketing strategy as part of the IOC’s continuing dialogue with and assistance to the bids.

Paris 2024 is aiming to host the Summer Olympics 100 years since it last welcomed the world in 1924. The French capital’s bid comes after unsuccessful attempts to host the Games in 1992, 2008 and 2012.

Written by Brian Pinelli

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