With 19 months to go before the final election scheduled to take place in Lima on September 13, 2017, the candidates for hosting the 2024 Summer Olympic Games truly entered into competition this Wednesday, February 17.
The bid from the French capital was presented at the Philharmonie in the presence of over 2,000 people, including 350 athletes, the Prime Minister Manuel Valls, the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, the President of the Ile-de-France Region Valérie Pecresse, and many other notable figures.
Bernard Lapasset and Tony Estanguet, the co-presidents of the organizing committee, along with active or retired athletes, expressed their desire to see Paris host the Games again, 100 years later.
A new slogan was also unveiled. The previous “I dream of the Games” made way for “The Power of a Dream.”
The French capital’s project largely relies on the use of existing sites and facilities. These include the Stade de France (ceremonies and athletics), Jean-Bouin (rugby), Parc des Princes (football), Bercy (basketball, judo, wrestling), as well as iconic places in the capital such as Les Invalides (archery), the Grand Palais (fencing, taekwondo), the Champ de Mars (beach volleyball), or the Champs-Élysées (cycling).
Nice will be among the nine cities where the football tournament matches will be played.
On the financial side, a tight budget is expected to be announced: 3.2 billion euros for operational costs, funded by an IOC grant and ticket sales, with an additional 3 billion euros for infrastructure, including 1 billion for specific Olympic constructions (Stade de France renovation, swimming pool construction) and 1.7 billion for the financing of the village, which should involve private investors.
The Italian project is not lacking in charm.
The message is clear. In the race for the 2024 Games, the Italian capital aims to be at the crossroads of eras, serving as a bridge between the past and the future, history and modernity.
Presented by Luca di Montezemolo, the former Ferrari boss and president of Roma 2024, the planning is organized around three main hubs. The first, the Foro Italico, the true sporting heart of the bid, would be transformed into an Olympic park (athletics, swimming, tennis, etc.). The second would be centered around the Fiera di Roma area, dominated by a vast exhibition park. Finally, the new district of Tor Vergata would notably host the athletes’ village.
The parade of champions would take place in front of the Colosseum. The finish line for the road cycling race would be judged at the heart of the Fori Imperiali. Archery would be organized at the Baths of Caracalla. For the marathon, runners would pass by St. Peter’s Basilica, the synagogue, and the mosque. Beach volleyball would set its stage at the Circus Maximus, the ancient chariot racing stadium.
The Italians mention an amount of 2.1 billion euros for the construction of permanent infrastructure, with a priority on the athletes’ village and the media center. They estimate the organizing committee’s budget at 3.2 billion euros, mainly devoted to temporary facilities and the event itself.
In case of victory, Rome and Italy would gain 177,000 sustainable jobs.
