Paris wins 2024 Olympics with plan for regrowth

Paris will host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and take the chance to regenerate one of its troubled suburbs while also rebuilding the reputation of the Games.

The International Olympic Committee announced the news in Lima, Peru, and confirmed at the same time that the 2028 Games will be held in Los Angeles.

Only one completely new competition venue will be built specifically for Paris 2024 – the pool and aquatics centre in Seine-Saint-Denis – and the northern suburb is the focus for much of the Games’ regeneration projects.

It will also host the athletes’ village (with events held in its Stade de France) and this vast project is a symbol of the regeneration as it will be turned into housing after the games with half for private sales and the rest for social housing.

With 95% of the sporting facilities already built, the overall cost of new venues, rebuilding and upgrades to existing sites will be short of €900million – which is vastly less than the excesses in hosting previous Games in Athens and Barcelona – but does not include plans for a new transport system.

To see some of the main Olympic Games sites, click on our Flickr album of graphics from the Paris 2024 organisers, below:

However, experts fear that the overall budget of €6.6billion will soar like the others.

President Macron greeted the announcement of the Paris win, saying it was a “formidable recognition of France” and added “a new page will turn in the next seven years... and the Games represent a magnificent opportunity to accompany the transformation of our country”.

City mayor Anne Hidalgo – who was against the Games project when first proposed by then president François Hollande – said, almost in tears: “Bringing the Games home after 100 years [Paris hosted the 1924 Olympics] brings immense joy… now it’s the start of a new extraordinary adventure”.

Paris is building on its historic reputation, using the Eiffel Tower as part of its logo and holding many events in its shadow, such as the open-water swimming, marathon, triathlon – and the beach volleyball and Five-a-side football right underneath.

Elsewhere, equestrian events will be held in the grounds of the Chateau de Versailles, fencing and Tae Kwan Do in the Grand Palais and the finishing straight for the road cycling will be on the Champs-Elysées.

Events will also be held across France with sailing in Marseille, football in sites from Villeneuve-d’Asque and Nantes in the north to Nice and Toulouse in the south while canoeing and rowing will be in Valres-sur-Marne.