Saturday’s election of Bernard Laporte as the French Rugby Federation (FFR) president "signaled the end of the Grand Stade project, which his predecessor, Pierre Camou, hoped to build south of Paris," according to Christophe Palierse of LES ECHOS. Barely in office a day, Laporte and his team confirmed their campaign promise and announced the “stoppage” of the project for the 82,000-seat stadium to be built in Essonne. The stadium was to cost a guaranteed €581M ($623M) before tax and around €600M ($643.5M) in total. On June 24, the FFR signed a design-promotion-construction-maintenance contract with the Ibelys group, bringing together property promoters Icade -- a subsidiary of government-run Caisse des Dépôts (CDC) -- BTP Belgian Besix and electrical and environmental efficiency services company Engie Cofely. On the same day, the FFR signed an agreement with the CDC which pledged a minority share of €70M-€80M ($75M-$85.8M) to the project and “help with acquiring a loan.” The financial plan for the stadium was based on the mobilization of €200M ($214.5M) and a €400M ($429M) loan. Local elected officials have “not yet given up.” Local commune Ris-Orangis Mayor Stéphane Raffalli said, “The territory still thinks the plan is good." He added that he intends to show Laporte that the “economic model is very solid” (LES ECHOS, 12/5).