Paris Moves Closer to 2024 Olympic Bid -- On the Scene

(ATR) Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has set an April deadline to decide if the city will bid for the 2024 Olympics.

"At the end of March I will present everything to the city officials and then in April the city will decide whether to go further in the process," she told a gathering of the French sports movement at City Hall in Paris on Thursday.

Bernard Lappaset, president of the French Committee for International Sport, presented a feasibility study to sports officials from the French NOC, national federations, city and regional representaties.

The head of the International Rugby Board delivered an overwhelmingly positive report into a Paris 2024 bid.

Three questions were asked: Is it in the interests of France? Is it a viable bid, technically and financially? Is there a strong possibility of being successful in the 2024 bidding race?

The answer to each was an emphatic "Yes" in the conclusions of the feasibility study.

The findings of a public opinion poll this week showed that nearly three-quarters of the population are in favor of Paris staging the 2024 Games.

"The people [of France] have shown they want this project, partly shown by their protest to the shootings in January," Lapasset told the gathering at City Hall, referring to the Charlie Hebdo terror attacks.

On the technical side, he said: "Paris will build on existing infrastructure, because there are already so many existing structures in the city [sports-wise]."

Lapasset said the feasibility study had tested two scenarios, and in both scenarios "more than 80 percent of the athletes were in 30 minutes of the venues."

Written by Christian Radnedge

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