Los Angeles, Paris and Budapest on Friday delivered their third and final dossiers to host the 2024 Olympics, although a machete attack in the French capital brought fresh security headaches for bid chiefs.
The three cities “officially entered the final straight in the bidding process,” the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said in a statement.
Front-runners Los Angeles and Paris are launching into the fray straight away, while Budapest is waiting until the middle of this month while its leaders seek to head off the threat of a city referendum on the bid.
Photo: Reuters
The 2024 host is to be announced at the committee’s 130th congress in Lima on Sept. 13.
As Paris was depositing its completed bid, security in the city was again under the spotlight after a soldier patrolling at the Louvre Museum shot and seriously injured a machete-wielding attacker.
Paris has been the target of a series of attacks in recent years.
French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the city is not alone in facing the threat of terror.
“The terrorist risk is everywhere in the world,” Cazeneuve said. “Other countries have been attacked, the United States as well as ourselves. It’s because we have been hit that we have adapted. This is what we did for Euro 2016 [soccer championship] and what we will do for 2024.”
The three candidates in the race to stage sport’s greatest spectacle are to undergo visits by committee bid inspectors.
Los Angeles is first to be put under the microscope from April 23 to 25, followed by Budapest (May 10-12) and Paris (May 14-16).
The bidding commission’s final report is to then be sent to all committee members to study and be made public before a July 11-12 meeting of the IOC and sporting federations.
In California, LA 2024 chief Casey Wasserman sought to downplay a furor over travel restrictions imposed by US President Donald Trump.
“We have no concerns,” he said on Friday. “We have enjoyed sharing the story of LA with the Olympic movement and its members.”
“When we raised our hand, it’s because we believed in the power of the movement to unite the world and that was to unite the world through sport not politics,” Wasserman said. “We’re sure the merits of our bid are strong. I’m confident the members of the IOC will see it as that.”
However, the comments came on the same day Iranian officials said they would deny visas to US wrestlers for the freestyle wrestling World Cup later this month.
Friday’s three dossiers sent to IOC headquarters in Lausanne related to “Games delivery, experience and venue legacy.”
They concentrated on the proposed legacy of their bids. They must give a firm outline of how the Games and Paralympics would go ahead and details on transport, accommodation, security and what athletes and spectators can expect.
Budapest’s bid has been under threat of a citizen-led call to hold a referendum on the Hungarian capital’s suitability to stage an event of this magnitude.
In Paris, French media reported that the French capital’s bid had promoted its fair ticket pricing for fans.
Half of all tickets would be sold for less than 50 euros (US$53.93), and much of those would be less than 20 euros, French sports newspaper L’Equipe said.
Also on Friday, the Paris bid unveiled its slogan for the Games: “Made for Sharing.”
Paris 2024 copresident Tony Estanguet said an English-language slogan was chosen instead of French “to give a universal character to a French project.”
Los Angeles and Paris both boast the fact that most of their sites are already built, with the US city even turning to stadiums used for the 1984 Games.
Budapest has made promises to provide global-standard facilities.
Paris hosted the 1900 and 1924 Games, and lost to London for the 2012 Olympics.
Los Angeles has also staged two Olympics, in 1932 and 1984.
Whichever city is chosen is to succeed Tokyo, the host of the next Games in 2020.
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