Doha, November 15 (QNA) – The three bidding cities for the hosting rights of Olympics 2024; Los Angeles, Paris and Budapest, presented their proposals before the 21st general assembly of the Association of the National Olympic Committees (ANOC), currently held in Doha.
The Los Angeles bid delegation started the show, presenting their proposal which bears the theme of “Follow the Sun,” saying that hosting the Olympics in Los Angeles will bring a lot of innovations for athletes.
The delegation said the Olympic village in Los Angeles will provide athletes with the best accommodation and sporting facilities will create a sustainable heritage for all games after the Olympics.
The delegation also noted that Los Angeles is the best choice because it has a fantastic infrastructure and huge capacities, particularly as the United States is diverse and aspires for the future.
In addition, the delegation said the city dedicated $2 billion to establish a new stadium and the Olympic village at the campus of the University of California besides pledging $250 million to fulfill the city’s commitments in case it won the bidding process.
Los Angeles mayor and head of the delegation, Eric Garcetti, stressed the city’s ability to stage the best ever Games, noting that the 2024 Olympics in Los Angeles will see a lot of innovations. The city aspires to host its third Olympics after 1932 and 1984.
Budapest also presented a proposal that argued that new International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules should give the Hungarian capital the best chance of winning the hosting rights and would send a message that “the Olympic Games are not simply for the mega-city but for mid-size cities, too,” Budapest Olympic bid leader Balazs Furjes said.
“The Agenda 2020 reforms make it possible for a new generation of mid-sized cities to host the Games, creating new possibilities for the Olympic Movement that will reinforce the IOC’s modern agenda. “A Budapest Games would give hope to new nations and new cities, nations and cities on the rise. It would spread the reach of the Olympic Movement and create new possibilities that will take forward the IOC’s new agenda.
“Today, our region offers financial resilience and stability, containing the most reliable economies in the European Union – among them Hungary. Budapest is on the rise and ready to deliver – we are the right city at the right time,” Furjes added.
Budapest is a founding nation of the Olympic movement and offered to host the first modern Games in 1896. It had five bids rejected for other Games in the past century. “The experience will be truly new and unique,” Attila Mizser, the bid’s director of sports and venues said.
“The whole city as one single connected Olympic Park. A genuine compact games experience built into the fabric of the city and accessible to all. A city wide celebration of sport,” he added.
The bid committee said the legacy of an Olympic Games is vital to the IOC, noting that the Hungarian capital provides a credible option of lasting improvements to the city and the country. “The legacy for each of our venues is carefully considered in the context of comprehensive business plans that continue to be honed as we progress,” Furjes said.
Budapest has previously lost bid for the games in 1916, 1920, 1936, 1944, and 1960. Paris’ bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games presented its proposal, focusing on a theme of “passion + purpose” and the role sport can play in society by embodying hope for all.
The French capital is bidding to host its third Games after 1900 and 1924. It’s the fourth time France has bid for the Summer Games in the past quarter-century, having lost in 1992 to Barcelona, 2008 to Beijing and 2012 to London.
French National Olympic Committee (NOC) President Denis Masseglia said the Paris 2024 presentation is “about a bid inspired by Olympic values, led by sport and athletes and powered by the collective energy and will of France’s national sports movement.” “It is this energy that we will put at your service with Paris 2024, which will allow us to respond to your needs and those of your athletes, and which today sees us launch the Paris 2024 ‘NOC and NPC Declaration.’ It sets out the outstanding service you will receive. And together, in partnership with you, we want to develop these ideas further and so make 2024 an exceptional experience for each of you,” Masseglia added.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo emphasized the environment and a global impact aspects of the Paris bid. She said “the Olympic Games bring humanity together like no other event on earth. You are all important actors in meeting the challenges that face the world’s future – and you have demonstrated this clearly, in the eyes of the world, with Agenda 2020.” “Respecting the planet, fighting for development, creating opportunities for young people, supporting gender equality through sport and especially through the Games, which unite humankind in a way that nothing else can.
“Paris is a confident city, which is not afraid to invent the future. Our vision for 2024 is optimistic, inclusive, joyful – but also clear-sighted and determined. In Paris in 2024 we will swim in the River Seine. We will travel in driverless vehicles. We will celebrate the Games on the Champs Elysees, with the Eiffel Tower and all along the Seine from the Grand Palais to Saint Denis,” Hidalgo added.
Tony Estanguet, Paris 2024 bid’s co-chair, Olympic medalist and IOC member, spoke about the passion and legacy that, he said, will be a key driver in the French proposal. “I’m convinced that passion and purpose must remain central to our Movement for its future success. And why Paris 2024 is built on those two key pillars: passion and purpose.
