Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said that the French capital had the "heart" for a potential 2024 Olympics bid but "further reflection was needed as a feasibility study put the potential cost" at $7.05B, according to Alexandria Sage of REUTERS. Hidalgo: "To be a candidate for the Olympics
and Paralympics is too important a subject to be driven by enthusiasm
and impatience. I've said it and I will say it again, yes, there is heart, the heart is there, and there is reason, and reason is there." French Committee for Int'l Sport President Bernard
LaPasset, whose organization authored the report, said the decision "hinged on whether there was
an interest for Paris, whether it had the financing capacity and
whether a win were possible." The estimated operations cost of €3.2B ($3.6B) would be 97% funded by private funds, with €1.85B ($2.1B) coming directly from the IOC. LaPasset said that the
estimated €3B ($3.4B) infrastructure cost to build "new sporting
halls, an Olympic Village and urban renovations around sporting sites,
would be funded 50/50 with public and private funds." The report estimated the cost of a candidacy at €60M ($68.4M) (REUTERS, 2/12).
