Paris mayor welcomes LA step on Olympics, says talks to continue throughout August

PARIS (Reuters) – Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on Monday welcomed Los Angeles’ decision to offer to host the 2028 Olympic Games but stopped short of saying the 2024 Olympics were in the bag for Paris, saying instead that talks would continue throughout August.

An official, speaking on condition of anonymity on behalf of the mayor’s office, said Hidalgo’s caution was meant to show respect for the official procedure, with several more steps to go through before any deal is approved at the International Olympic Committee’s decisive meeting in Lima.

Using the #Paris2024 twitter handle in a series of Tweets, Hidalgo said: “Discussions will continue between our two cities and the IOC throughout August to reach a tripartite deal.”

Hidalgo concluded by saying: “I am very optimistic: we will do everything so that the Lima vote, on Sept. 13, will be a historic moment #Paris2024.”

The co-chair for Paris’ 2024 Olympics bid, Tony Estanguet, went a bit further, saying in a statement that all the efforts made on Paris’ bid “allowed us to convince the IOC of the merits of awarding the organization of the 2024 Olympics to Paris”.

Estanguet, Hidalgo and the Paris bid committee all insisted that talks would continue with Los Angeles and the IOC.

“We are very respectful of the process,” the official in Hidalgo’s office said in explaining Paris’ caution. “It’s a positive step, but it’s a step.”