PARIS (Reuters) – The Olympic flag arrived in Paris, the next host of the summer Games in 2024, on Monday after Sunday’s finale in Tokyo.
Here are some facts about the Paris 2024 Games:
* Paris will become the second city after London to host the Olympic games three times. 2024 will mark the 100th anniversary since the Games were last held in the French capital.
* Paris wants to hold the opening ceremony along the river Seine to ensure it is as open to the public as possible. It would be first time the ceremony has been held outside the host’s Olympic stadium.
* Many events will be held against the backdrop of some of Paris’ most beautiful landmarks. Beach volleyball will take place at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, skateboarding in the Place de la Concorde and fencing at the ornate Grand Palais. Equestrian events will be held in the grounds of the sumptuous Versailles Palace outside the capital.
* Tahiti, in French Polynesia, will host surfing events. At 15,706 kilometres from Paris, this will smash the record for the farthest Olympic competition to be held from the host city.
* The Marathon will be open to everyone, including amateur athletes, for the first time in the Games’ history.
* If the IOC gives its approval, the offshore sailing race will be the first where amateur sailors can compete with the Olympians online, in real time and on the same course.
* Paris is promising the most sustainable carbon-footprint of any Olympics so far, planning to halve emissions arising in relation to the Games and off-setting more carbon dioxide than the event will generate.
* An aquatics centre is the only new permanent competition venue that will be built for the Games. It will connect to the neighbouring Stade de France, where the athletics will be held, via a footbridge that will span the motorway separating the two.
* The 2024 games will cost a projected 3.9 billion euros ($4.6 billion) to organise, according to the Paris 2024 official website.
($1 = 0.8471 euros)
(Reporting by Richard Lough; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
