French president-elect Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed his backing for the Paris bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games in talks with International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach, Paris bid officials said today.
Senior IOC inspectors are due to arrive in Paris over the weekend to conduct a tour of proposed venues as Paris squares off against rival bidder Los Angeles for the right to host the Games.
Macron, elected on Sunday, spoke to Bach by phone and expressed his "attachment to the Paris 2024 project and emphasised France's longstanding commitment to the Olympic movement," the bid committee said in a statement.
"We are delighted that even before his inauguration as new president of France he has already found time to speak to the IOC president to reaffirm his full and complete support for Paris 2024," the co-chairman of the committee Tony Estanguet said in the statement.
IOC chief Bach said he had congratulated Macron on his "brilliant" election win and praised the Paris bid.
"During the call, I confirmed Paris has a very strong candidature, in line with the Olympic Agenda, which also demonstrates a great unity of the sports movement and all the political authorities," he said in a statement.
The IOC's Evaluation Committee made up of senior Olympic officials will visit Paris for three days from Sunday, arriving directly from a similar inspection tour of Los Angeles.
The commission will release its finding later this year ahead of the September 13 vote in Lima which will determine the winner.
"Mr. Macron has also confirmed that he will be meeting with the IOC Evaluation Commission while they are in Paris and that he will be active in backing the bid all the way to Lima," said Estanguet.
"The whole of France is coming together to support Paris 2024 and is ready to welcome the world to our country for a unique celebration of sport, inclusion and friendship.
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