As 2020 draws to a close, Paris 2024 and all its stakeholders have approved a new optimised concept for the Games that consolidates its strengths. With football matches being played in Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, Paris and Saint-Etienne, the Paris 2024 Games will be held across the entire country. Looking ahead to the Tokyo Games in the summer of 2021, Paris 2024 is keen to share its project by bringing people together across generations, from regions in mainland France and its overseas territories, putting women and men on an equal footing, and blending modern urban sports with long-standing traditional Olympic and Paralympic sports.

Organising the Games throughout France as a whole
After the IOC and the IPC approved the sports programme for the Paris 2024 Games, the Paris 2024 Board of Directors obtained final approval from all stakeholders for the concept of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, having started revision work in spring of this year.

The final stage of approval involved choosing the venues that will host the matches for the football tournament. Following a rigorous selection process that assessed technical excellence, sustainability, participation and legacy, it was decided to stage the men’s and women’s Olympic football tournament in Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, Paris and Saint-Etienne (NB: The validation of this choice will be submitted to FIFA at its next Board meeting in March).

Even more economical, the revised concept reduces expenditures by cutting back the number and better optimising competition venues, while also further bolstering the strong points within the initial concept – iconic locations, compact distribution and accessible venues, territorial balance and the position of the Seine-Saint-Denis area at the heart of the project.

A controlled budget, up 2.5% thanks to additional revenues
The Paris 2024 budget was built to be economical and balance expenditure with income, which requires annual adjustments to adapt to changing circumstances. This last year effectively demonstrated the extent to which the project is able to adapt and still remain exciting.

In October 2020, the Orange group joined the Paris 2024 family of partners as an official supplier to the Paris 2024 Games. Other partnerships have also been signed and will be announced in the near future. Four years out from the Games, Paris 2024 has already secured 46% of planned partnership income.

Paris 2024 has maintained a balanced budget, which now covers all Olympic and Paralympic events and a more detailed assessment of the scope of certain expenses, which are funded by reallocating resources and increased income. The increase will come from additional ticket sales due to the superior capacity of venues chosen in the revised concept and an increase in the Olympic partners programme (TOP programme).

Launch of the Paris 2024 endowment fund – the main tool of the legacy strategy

The Paris 2024 legacy strategy reached a decisive milestone in 2020, when the Paris 2024 endowment fund was launched to fund projects that harness sport to create a positive impact on society and offer long-term support to those who have suffered as a result of the crisis, especially within the sporting movement.

The first call for proposals, launched in collaboration with the French National Sport Agency, the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) and the French Paralympic and Sports Committee (CPSF), selected a total of 1,024 proposals, with 55 winners (5 national initiatives and 50 local/regional initiatives).

At its second meeting on 17 December, the Board of Directors of the Paris 2024 endowment fund adopted its financial regulations. The next call for proposals will be launched in spring 2021.

Getting the entire country involved in the run-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020

With four years to go before the Games, a significant majority of people in France support the project. Overall, 84% of people are in favour of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024, according to a survey conducted by Harris online between 14 and 16 December 2020 across a representative sample of the French population.

In 2021, as the world looks forward to enjoying the postponed Tokyo Games, Paris 2024 intends to continue drumming up excitement in France by offering people a taste of the incredible celebration that awaits them and get them even more involved in the Games experience.

The Paris 2024 Board of Directors adopted the general and operational framework for the Cultural Olympiad, which will begin the day after the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Games and run until the Paris Games, celebrating a vast programme of artistic and cultural events throughout the country.

Paris 2024 will continue to implement and further amplify the momentum built up in 2020 with the Terre de Jeux 2024 label. Over 20 million people in France now live in a “Terre de Jeux 2024” labelled area. Launched at the height of summer to reconnect athletes with their fans, the Paris 2024 Club has already attracted thousands of members.

In 2021, Paris 2024 will also define the concepts for the celebrations that will contribute to the festivities during the Games and the main principles for the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays and the volunteer strategy will also be finalised.