Luis Miguel Pascual.
Paris, Jan 23 (EFE) .- "If Paris can not host the 2024 Olympic Games, it will have been the last attempt," said Paris Estress co-chair Tony Estanguet in an interview with Efe. French capital is "more prepared than ever" to win.
"This is the sixth time that Paris is running for the Games," said Estanguet, a former Olympic canoeing champion, "if we do not win, there will be no more nominations.
The former athlete, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), believes that Paris is more likely to win now because he "learned from the mistakes of the past", especially from 2008 and 2012, when he competed as a favorite and was outscored by Beijing and London , Respectively.
Estanguet feels ahead of a candidacy "essentially based on athletes, not politicians," and that "goes in the line of what the IOC asked for, a reasonable project, without undue expense and thinking a lot about the athletes."
Just as in the canoe season, Estanguet does not believe in predictions, he acknowledges that competition with Budapest, and especially Los Angeles, "is open," but warns that "victory will be decided in the final stretch."
According to the manager, it does not mean much that bookmakers consider Paris as a favorite, in the same way as the searches made by specialized magazines.
"That's no use. We have to work with the same intensity until the end, without making mistakes," he said.
The next stage of the election will be held on February 3, when the three candidates will present the final project in Lausanne.
Without making reference to the rival cities, Estanguet defends the Games in Paris and guarantees that they are "very inspired of the ones of Barcelona (1992)", the first that lived like spectator.
"(In Barcelona) it has been proved that the Games can transform a city and we want to do the same, that the center of Paris is an Olympic park, that people can walk from the Grand Palais to the Palace of the Invalides and the Eiffel Tower, And Roland Garros, "he said.
Estanguet also wants to revive the popular party atmosphere that has taken place in Barcelona, although he acknowledges that there is also inspiration in other editions, such as the Sydney and Athens Games, where he won his first two Olympic golds, and London, where he won the last, All in category C-1.
Unlike Los Angeles, where the financial weight of the application falls on private equity, Paris combined public money with the support of 13 large companies, which for the former athlete allows dealing with aspects such as inheritance of the facilities, the environment and Accessibility for the physically disabled.
In addition, with 85% of the facilities built, the Olympic bid will require no more than $ 1.5 million of public money to build the athletes' village and the water park for swimming.
The village will be transformed into apartments after the Games and the water park will be for the French, which shows that the Games in Paris will not mean a high financial cost. This has contributed to 77% of French people supporting the candidacy, including the main political parties.
Estanguet also mentioned a sensitive subject, the possible victory of the ultra-right Marine le Pen in the presidential elections as of April.
"I do not fear the victory of Marine le Pen, we had contacts with all the candidates, not with her, but it's not a matter for me to worry about, I think we have the French behind us and the politicians will not go against the citizens."
He knows Paris holds most of Europe's hopes of hosting the Olympic Games, which would be the first in the Old Continent in 12 years.
He therefore hopes that the IOC's European members, who are the majority, will think in favor of the 'international dimension' that the Paris Games would have for the whole continent and not make other calculations, such as the chances of other cities French capital failed.
"If we work together we will have more Games in Europe," he said.
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