When the choice was made to define the French capital as the city of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, many questions - which still make sense today - were raised by the region's inhabitants: why choose a city that was already very touristy, very small compared to the population density of its territory and ultimately unsuitable for the practice of certain disciplines (sailing, open water swimming, etc.)?
What are the conditions for hosting the Olympic Games?
To apply to become a host country, a candidate country must have a National Olympic Committee (NOC), recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The National Olympic Committee is unique to each country, and helps to promote and develop the Olympic movement within a nation. Today, the IOC has 206 National Olympic Committees. If a city, and therefore a country, wishes to bid to host the Games, it must put together a solid, well-supported project - under the guidance of the IOC.
The IOC then convenes its members for a voting session. Each member has one vote, and voting is by secret ballot, although an IOC member may not vote if the election concerns a country of which he or she is a national. If a majority is not reached in the first round, the candidate city with the lowest number of votes is eliminated, and the voting rounds continue until a host city obtains a majority.
How did Paris become the host city for the 2024 Games?
Following the IOC's decision on July 11, 2017, Paris once again became an Olympic city, exactly 100 years after the last Games were held in the French capital. While Paris was in competition with Los Angeles for the 2024 Games, the IOC finally took the decision to organize the Olympic Games in both cities (for two different editions): it's Paris that will finally host the 33rd modern Games. Paris has been chosen for the richness of its sites, which have a strong historical value: some events will take place under the beautiful glass roof of the Grand Palais, others on the Champ de Mars, and still others in the courtyard of the Invalides, the Château de Versailles... See you on Friday July 26 for the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games!
