Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, IOC President Thomas Bach, French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera, Paris 2024 Organising Committee President Tony Estanguet and AIPS President Gianni Merlo

CRAZY IDEA The French President reiterated his confidence that Paris will deliver on its promise of a magical, one-of-a-kind Opening Ceremony on the River Seine in four days’ time. It is once in the history of the Olympic Games that we will have such an Opening Ceremony, not in the stadium but on the Seine River and I can tell you that at the very beginning it seemed like a crazy and not very serious idea but we decided that it was the right moment to deliver this crazy idea and to make it real.”

President Macron is extremely proud of what France has achieved since being awarded the 2024 Games in September 2017, few months after he was first elected President. He stressed that Paris 2024 will leave a lasting legacy as “the most sustainable Games in history” and the first-ever gender equality Olympics.

BEST POSSIBLE CONDITION “So I hope you will work in the best possible condition we did our best as well for the Journalists to be located close to the different events and also have the best facilities to work. I have checked. In Versailles, for instance, the press room is quite unique as well.”

Thomas Bach, who was the first to speak, said: “We are very proud that we can say these Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be the first Olympic Games that fully align with our Olympic agenda, enriched by the very innovative creativity of the Organising Committee and the French Government.”

CALL FOR PEACE He also underlined the role of the Games in promoting peace. “I am just coming from the Olympic village and there we had the athletes from all the 206 National Olympic Committees, together with the IOC refugee Olympic team coming together and making a call for peace. I have rarely experienced such an emotional moment, to see your all these athletes, including the athletes whose countries are in conflict or are even in war, join this call on the political leaders to give peace a chance. And this will be one of the great symbol these Olympic Games in Paris.”

Following his speech on stage, President Macron came down to interact closely with the journalists and field questions. Other AIPS Executive Committee members in attendance were Vice President Zsuzsa Csisztu, AIPS Africa President Abdoulaye Thiam and EC Member Emanuel Fantaneanu.

AUGUST 6 AIPS CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION AIPS President, Gianni Merlo, said: „I am happy with this important meeting and the recognition that our association, founded 100 years ago on the occasion of the 1924 Olympic Games, has received from President Macron and the International Olympic Committee today: there was no better premise for the centenary celebrations to be held at UNESCO on 6 August.”

French President Emmanuel Macron and AIPS President Gianni Merlo, in the middle is Paris 2024 Organising Committee President Paris 2024 Organising Committee President Tony Estanguet

 AIPS Media