Paris moved closer to becoming a candidate for the 2024 Olympics, offering the tantalizing prospect of holding events under the Eiffel Tower and other emblematic venues in the French capital.
A feasibility study said that beach volleyball could be held in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, archery on the Invalides Esplanade near the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte and fencing in the historic Grand Palais museum.
The Stade de France that held soccer’s 1998 World Cup final and Roland Garros, the venue for the French Open tennis each year, would also be used.
New infrastructure would cost 3 billion euros (US$3.4 billion) and the operating budget another 3.2 billion euros, but the study said Paris could hope to get back 1.8 billion euros from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“France has the qualities to win” the Olympic race, said Bernard Lapasset, who headed an official committee that presented a report on the possible campaign to Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and the French government on Thursday.
After handing over his report, Lapasset said France needed to “move as quickly as possible” onto negotiations with the IOC about a bid.
However, Hidalgo said she would submit a possible bid for approval by the mayors of the 20 Paris arrondissements next month and to the full city council in April. The socialist mayor is worried about opposition from rival parties over the cost.
With so many existing venues on the draft plan, only a new swimming pool and a village for the 10,000 athletes would have to be built.
Hidalgo, who has not publicly said she wants to enter the race, indicated more strongly that she is ready for a bid.
“We need to lay the foundations of a strong candidacy with the sporting movement at the forefront,” she told a press conference.
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