(ATR) Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo tells Around the Rings the Olympic bid is unaffected by the government’s plans to extend the state of emergency after the terrorist attacks.
On Wednesday, the French government said it was seeking an extension to the country’s maximum security level to cover the period of the June 10 to July 10 Euro 2016 championships and the Tour de France. The state of emergency was introduced after November’s attacks which killed 130 people.
Speaking to ATR in Lausanne where she is attending the SportAccord Convention, Hidalgo said: "Life is going on as normal in Paris. The state of emergency doesn’t mean there is a curfew. It’s about strengthened security.
"It’s not a defining issue for the bid. It’s something that concerns everyone hosting major events. Security is an issue that every major city in the world is facing today."
She insisted the Paris bid was undeterred by the terrorists and the city would continue to stage successful sporting events. Hidalgo pointed to the Paris marathon that took place earlier this month, saying "everything went extremely smoothly".
Asked how government support for the 2024 quest compared to bids by Paris and Annecy for the 2012 and 2018 Games, she spoke of a "very broad political consensus".
"Right now in France all politicians support the bid regardless of their party," she said. "That’s true in the Paris assembly but also in every district, in all the cities surrounding Paris and the region as well.
"The same is true of the prime minister, the president and opposition parties. That is something that is truly exceptional."
The mayor also underlined how athletes were "in the front line" of the Paris bid. Co-chair Tony Estanguet also attended the briefing with ATR; he’s a three-time Olympic gold medalist in canoe slalom. She emphasised that athletes’ views had determined the choice of the Olympic Village in the Saint-Denis area of the city.
"The Olympic Village is a place that is the real soul of the Games, so it was really important to take the athletes lead on that, not to impose a decision on the athletes and that really is a very significant point of difference from the previous bids," she told ATR.
Budapest, Los Angeles and Rome are also vying for the 2024 Games, with the IOC vote slated for the IOC Session in Peru in September next year.
Hidalgo declined to be drawn when asked if she had a message for those who say Los Angeles is the frontrunner.
"All the cities in this race are great cities. Paris is a bid of fair play. We have respect for all our competitors," she said. "What I am most interested in is talking about the Paris bid, talking about how much we really want to do this and have real enthusiasm for it."
Describing the SportAccord Convention as a "very important moment", she said it was allowing the Paris bid delegation "to understand the needs and expectations of the international federations and the wider sports movement in terms of the Paris bid"
Estanguet said Paris had "a strong sport offer" to international federations:"We are here to meet and work with them to improve this proposal and make sure in the final bid book it will be good enough for them to support it at the final stage."
Reported by Mark Bisson
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