Paris Sports Tourism Deputy Mayor Jean-Francois Martins said that the city "is set to go ahead with a bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games," according to Julien Pretot of REUTERS. The Paris City Council "will vote on Monday to decide whether to make a bid for the 2024 Games." Martins said, "A good job was made by the sporting world in explaining why and how (to bid) ... so we are going toward this vote with optimism." Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo suggested last year that she was not in favor of a bid because of "financial and budgetary" issues but she has since then changed her mind. Paris "would be up against the German city of Hamburg, Rome and Boston." Paris, however, "would only bid for 2024, not 2024 and 2028 should it fail for the former." Paris "has a tennis arena in Roland Garros and an athletics stadium at the Stade de France so its most pressing need would be a swimming pool." Martins: "We can also build temporary facilities just like London did." Paris was "left traumatized" in '05 "when it was piped by London to stage the 2012 Games after considering its bid to be the strong favorite." City officials "have already talked to about 40 companies which would back the bid and they are willing to fight again" (REUTERS, 4/9).
