2024 Olympic Bids Absorb Rio Experience

(ATR) The four cities in the race for the 2024 Olympics are back at home from a month in Rio de Janeiro.

Each of the bids – Budapest, Los Angeles, Paris and Rome – were allowed to bring eight accredited observers to Rio. Those observers got to take part in a structured series of behind-the-scenes visits to Rio operations.

Campaigning by the bids was limited in Rio. The cities were allowed one official press conference lasting no more than 30 minutes, with no more than six speakers. Three of the four took advantage of the opportunity at the Main Press Center, Rome choosing not to hold one.

Three of the four cities brought a head of state to Rio; the U.S bid the exception. Secretary of State John Kerry attended the opening of the Games.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi met with a small group of reporters as the Olympics opened. He said he believed doubts from the new mayor of Rome about supporting the bid will be overcome. Virginia Raggi, elected in June, chose not to come to Rio.

"We are ready to work in the same direction while respecting the differences of the city of Rome. We will weigh the decision of the city in the next weeks. We are not worried. There are differences between two different majorities in two different levels of governments. Now it’s time to cooperate," said Renzi.

He says the national government wants to invest in sports facilities that Rome needs for its citizens – and not just on big projects needed for the Olympics.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti spent a week in Rio meeting IOC members and sports leaders. He tells Around the Rings the time was well spent.

"We’ve deepened our relationships, with IOC members, with the important people of the sports world. We’ve been able to listen to the suggestions that people have and shared our vision. I leave here with a stack of cards and deeper relationships and I think a lot of people now have heard and understand the vision of Los Angeles," said Garcetti.

"Our leaders have been very active in Rio," said Paris bid CEO Etienne Thobois, referring to the two French IOC members, Guy Drut and Tony Estanguet and bid president Bernard Lapasset.

"Fantastic support" is how Thobois terms the presence of French President Francois Hollande at the start of the Games and the nearly three weeks spent in Rio by Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban came to Rio near the end of the Games to celebrate Hungary Day, August 19.

"The question is not why should Hungary host the Olympics? but rather why shouldn’t it?" Orbán said. He said that Budapest is an ideal setting for the Olympics in light of Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms.

Budapest, as well as all of the four bids, installed a display within its national house to show off the bid. Limited in size to a small room, the exhibits used hi-tech gear to give visitors a sense of each bid.

While permitted to use the NOC hospitality houses as a base for their promotion, the 2024 cities were not allowed to directly invite media or IOC members to visit the houses. This was conveyed to the cities in a reminder from the IOC midway through the Games that attracted some ridicule by the media as well as from each of the bids. In a bit of charade, such invitations could only be extended by the respective National Olympic Committees.

Under such "clean" invitations, IOC President Thomas Bach and dozens of IOC members, along with the media, managed to visit all four NOC houses of the 2024 bids without breaking the rules.

During his visits, Bach carefully offered each bid an equal share of good luck in his remarks – lest he receive a notice from the IOC Ethics Commission.

All four bids head back to Rio in September for a look at the Paralympics.

Written by Ed Hula.

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