An election that has divided France and "spawned the possibility of a contentious, far-right national leadership" serves as the "backdrop" as Paris hopes to secure the right to host the 2024 Olympics, with a "head-to-head fight" against L.A. to be decided by an IOC vote in September, according to Martin Rogers of USA TODAY. The far-right candidate, Marine Le Pen, is "seeking to produce the latest electoral upset by beating independent centrist Emmanuel Macron." Paris 2024 co-Chair Tony Estanguet said, "It hasn't changed anything with the bid. We knew along the journey of the bid we'd have different elections. We want to reduce the involvement of the political world. They are there to support. They are there to be tough. But we decide where to put the Olympic Village. The sport movement will be responsible for delivering the Games." When Hamburg, Rome and Budapest withdrew from the race, it "left behind two heavyweight bids both seeking to land the Games for the third time." Paris is the "bookies’ favorite," having promoted a "friendly, open and forward-thinking approach." But such things can "quickly turn," especially with the IOC’s evaluation committee due to visit both sites this month. The committee will also "find a heated political environment in the U.S. following Donald Trump moving into the Oval Office in January." Trump's message of nationalism is "in many ways shared by Le Pen." Estanguet would "not be drawn into whether he would prefer Macron or Le Pen to win the election, but he has made a point to spout values that are directly opposite to those of Le Pen." He said, "The values, the respect, the friendship, the excellence (of sports) is so strong. Our society needs those values. This is the strength of our project. We are ready to engage French society around those values because we need to (lift) up people. We need to stand behind with each other" (USA TODAY, 5/1). In L.A., Lance Pugmire reported preaching "isolationist and populist views in line with Brexit" and the election of Trump, Le Pen has "inserted her voice into the Olympic movement by chiding the Paris bid’s English slogan, 'Made For Sharing,' which briefly hung under the Eiffel Tower." Estanguet, a former IOC voting member, could not "hide his confidence about Paris' position in this rare two-horse race." He said, "With several proposals, it’s difficult to compare. It’s easier for the jury with two. We’ll have to be more clear, stronger in the way of convincing, but I like this challenge and we have everything on our side to win this battle. This is a very strong bid. We don’t see the weaknesses of Paris. ... I don’t see why we should not win" (L.A. TIMES, 5/1).
