IOC Trusts Paris 2024 on Security

(ATR) An International Olympic Committee delegation confirms its confidence in the security measures for Paris 2024 at the end of a two-day technical visit.

The chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Paris 2024 Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant led the mission to Paris, which coincided with a series of violent anti-government protests in the capital and a terrorist attack in Strasbourg.

"At five and a half years of the Games, nothing changes in our demands, there is no fear on our part (...) France has been at the center of events of a violent and terrorist nature in recent years, but is used to organizing very big events," said Beckers-Vieujant after expressing his solidarity and compassion to the families of the victims of the terrorist acts.

"We are confident that the authorities will be able to guarantee adequate security for this global event represented by the Olympic and Paralympic Games."

Last Tuesday in an attack on a Christmas market in Strasbourg, 490 km east of Paris, three people were killed and 13 wounded. The alleged terrorist was killed on Thursday, according to police.

On Wednesday and Thursday the IOC mission met with the Organizing Committee headed by Tony Estanguet to analyze the progress of Paris 2024 in all areas.

The Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu and the Interdepartmental Delegate of the Games, Jean Castex, future president of the new National Sports Agency, also exchanged with the IOC representatives and transmitted the guarantee of the support of the authorities in all aspects, including financial.

Since the election as host city of the 2024 Olympic Games in Lima in September 2017, the Organizing Committee has been working closely with the IOC.

Initially called Project Review, the name historically used by the IOC for this type of regular technical meeting, this step has been baptized this week as "Meeting of organizing partners".

Both sides reviewed the five main objectives established by Paris 2024 for 2018: set the backbone of the vision (sports program, development, legacy, celebrations), create a team, confirm the financial framework, develop the heritage architecture and define the Master Plan (the main infrastructure program).

"Paris is where they promised us," Beckers-Vieujant summed up.

By the end of the first quarter of 2019, Paris 2024 must launch tenders and markets.

In March it will present a pre-selection of additional sports for the Olympic Program to the IOC. A decision on the number of sports and the specific disciplines has not yet been made.

Estranguet ruled out any esports in the Paris 2024 vision. "They are not today a federation recognized by the IOC," he said.

On the possibility of an "open" opening ceremony such as the one organized by Buenos Aires at the last Olympic Youth Games, and which received so much praise from the IOC president, Thomas Bach, Estranguet agreed with the need to be creative but warned that "to talk about the ceremony today is too early, it's not a priority".