LAUSANNE: Thomas Bach’s plan to oversee a double award of the 2024 and 2028 Olympics was vindicated by publication of the evaluation commission’s report into, ostensibly, the 2024 Games.

The International Olympic Committee’s panel reported tghat the ri als’ bids were as “good as it can possibly get” for the multi-sport showpiece.

The US city and the French capital are the first to receive the full benefits of the significant changes that have resulted from Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC’s strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement which includes reforms designed to reduce the cost of bidding for, and staging, the Olympic Games.

Patrick Baumann, the IOC member who chaired the commission, said in the report: “Members of the Evaluation Commission have used the terms ‘forward-looking’, ‘innovative’, ‘vibrant’, and ‘cool’ to describe the Los Angeles candidature, and ‘historical’, ‘cultural’, ‘iconic’ and ‘amazing backdrops’ for that of Paris.

“However, whatever the description, it truly is a tale of two great Olympic cities. The two projects are different in nature, but each city presents a proposal which is genuinely authentic and reflects the best of what each has to offer.”

In line with the reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020, and in an effort to cut costs, both Los Angeles and Paris are planning to use a record number of existing and temporary venues, a first in Olympic history.

The release of the report comes with potentially two editions of the summer Olympics on offer at the final vote that will take place during the 131st IOC Session on September 13 in Lima, Peru.

IOC president Bach last month confirmed that the governing body’s executive board had “unanimously approved” the award of the 2024 and 2028 summer Olympics at the same time.

With Los Angeles and Paris in the running to host the 2024 Games, there has been continuous speculation that the IOC will not pass up the opportunity to award consecutive editions of the Olympics to two high-quality host cities.

The proposal will now be considered at an extraordinary IOC session on July 11-12 in Lausanne. If the proposal is accepted by IOC members, then Los Angeles and Paris will both be allocated an Olympics at the IOC Session in Lima.

The release of the report concludes the work of the 2024 Evaluation Commission, which visited the two candidate cities in May, following working visits, conducted by IOC technical experts, which focused on venue infrastructure, transport, sustainability and finance.

It will be the key reference document for IOC members in the lead-up to the 2024 Candidate City Briefing next week in Lausanne and the final vote in Lima.

Baumann added: “Los Angeles is one of the most entertaining sports and leisure destinations on the planet; Paris has a history second to none. On any given day, people around the globe enjoy Hollywood offerings of great storytelling and showcasing technology, while at the same time they dream of visiting Paris, one of the world’s most dazzling tourist destinations.

“With the support, enthusiasm and passion of their citizens and athletes, Los Angeles and Paris have presented the best of their cities. And their best is as good as it can possibly get for the Olympic Games.”

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