PARIS, May 13-- The 11-member International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission delegation arrived in Paris on Saturday to carry out a three-day inspection on the city's preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games bid. The delegation, led by IOC Evaluation Commission chairman Patrick Baumann, arrived at Roissy Charles De Gaulle airport around 1:50 p.m. local time, and were welcomed by French Olympic Committee president Denis Masseglia, mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo and Bernard Lapasset and Tony Estanguet, co-presidents of the Paris bid committee. Baumann described the following three-day inspection work in the French capital "intense", which they also looked forward to. "We want to have a direct image of what the city of Paris and the bid committee propose," he said. IOC Evaluation Commission is scheduled to have a meeting with the Paris bid on Sunday, then go to some proposed venues or iconic backdrops for the 2024 Games, including the Eiffel Tower, Roland Garros and the Stade de France, next Monday. "We are ready to share with them everything that Paris has to offer," said Estanguet, also a three-time Olympic champion. "We look forward to showcasing Paris, an Olympic city that lives and breathes sport, to the IOC over the coming days," he added. Emmanuel Macron, to be inaugurated as French president on Sunday, will have a meeting with the delegation during the latter's stay in Paris, while no clear time has been confirmed yet. |