Paris' 2024 Olympics bid boosted by regional backing

The regional council of Ile de France passed a resolution to give its backing to the French capital

Paris, May 8 (IANS): Paris' bid for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics has been boosted as the regional council of Ile de France passed a resolution to give its backing to the French capital.

The council of the region surrounding Paris voted 136-37 in favour of the project with four abstentions at an exceptional meeting in the capital's seventh arrondissement. Ile de France president Jean-Paul Huchon said on Thursday that conditions were better than ever for Paris to bid for Olympics put together by the French sports movement to succeed, reports Xinhua.

Just under a month ago, the city hall of Paris council voted to support a bid of the City of Lights to go ahead. Paris' infrastructure budget for hosting the 2024 Games has been estimated at three billion euros with operational costs of 3.2 billion euros.

The city may need to build a new swimming pool, an Olympic village and a media centre as required in main constructions if bidding for the Games.

The French National Olympic Committee now has to formally declare the candidacy to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne before September 15, competing against Boston, Rome and Hamburg, with the IOC to make the final decision in 2017.

Paris failed in bids for the 1992, 2008 and 2012 Games. The birthplace of the founder of modern Olympics Pierre de Coubertin has twice hosted the Summer Olympics in 1924 and 1900 when Olympics came as part of the World Expo.