was the unsuccessful
Bid for the
2012 Summer Olympic Games to be held in
Paris . The bidding race was eventually won by the
London 2012 bid after a 54-50 vote of the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) on
2005-07-06 .
1 The
French capital's failure to win the 2012 games follows the failure of the Paris
2008 and Paris
1992 bids.
The French National Olympic Committee ( region and France itself formed a public interest group called “Paris-Île-de-France 2012”. Chaired by
Bertrand Delanoë , Mayor of Paris, the group was responsible for supporting and promoting Paris' bid.
The IOC gave the Paris 2012 bid almost universal praise, as shown in the following excerpt from their evaluation:
:Paris has based its vision on the long-standing relationship between Olympism and France and has planned athlete-centered Games. Paris has committed to providing a legacy to the city, the region, French athletes and the community generally. The Olympic Village would provide a significant new housing opportunity for inner Paris. The Paralympic Games are well integrated into the planning of Paris 2012. Overall, the environmental actions are comprehensive, innovative and integrated throughout planning and operations, and would result in significant gains and legacies from the Games. The budget has been professionally prepared with great detail. Assumptions for the budget are well supported and documented. Paris has extensive, well maintained and operated metropolitan road and rail transport systems. Paris has a rich cultural heritage with regard to Olympism. The candidature file and the information provided to the Commission during its visit were of a very high quality.
in Paris.]]
The Paris organizing committee proposed to hold the games from
July 27 to
August 12 ,
2012 . These dates offer the most favorable climatic conditions for the athletes.
2
Paris proposed that the organizing committee for the games (OCOG) would need US$2.65 billion to run and prepare for the games. Non-OCOG budgeting would include US$2.2 billion specifically for the games and another US$6 billion for general infrastructure enhancements over a longer period of time.
The national, regional, and local governments are all committed to funding the games, and the national government says that it will cover any shortfall the Paris OCOG experiences.
showing the location of events.]]
The goal was to place the 17,000 athletes and guides under the best conditions in the middle of the Games. The “one village, two cores” concept of the Paris 2012 bid would have placed the Olympic and Paralympic village in Paris only 6 kilometres from the two cores of competition venues that would have been used for 80% of the events. The "Olympic Ways", in the immediate vicinity, would have made it possible to guarantee the effectiveness and efficiency of transportation; according to the bid team, it would have taken less than ten minutes to reach either of the venue clusters. The village would have been placed in the north-west of Paris, in the
17th Arrondissement on an industrial wasteland belonging to the
SNCF .
The venue concept for the Paris bid was focused around two principal clusters, a Northern core around the
Stade De France and a Western core established around the stadium of
Roland Garros .
3 Both clusters would be 6 km (4 mi) away from the Olympic village. The bid comprises a total of 31 venues, 13 of which are already in place.
4 Sixteen additional venues (including 11 temporary ones) were to be constructed for the games.
- Stade De France
- Aquatics center
- SuperDôme (for gymnastics)
- House 1
- House 2
- House 3
- House 4
- House 5
- House 6
It is the third time in recent years that Paris has sought hosting rights for the Olympic Games.
The
IOC 's decision to hold the
2012 Games in
London was a massive blow to France due to this being Paris' third failed attempt to host the Olympic Games in the last twenty years.
Throughout Paris' 2012 bid, great emphasis was placed on France's love and passion for sport. Two previous failures to host the Games led many to believe that Paris had learnt from its mistakes and would produce a strong bid that would not be easily challenged. This remained the case throughout much of the process as Paris was almost always the favourite to win. However, the final decision was between London and Paris, the capitals of the
United Kingdom and
France , two nations which throughout history had always been rivals. The decision of either Paris or London for 2012 would also be historic as either city would have become the first ever city to host the Olympic Games three times (London hosted the Games in
1908 and
1948 , whilst Paris played host in
1900 and
1924 ). There was a huge outcry in Paris when the French capital was rejected yet again to host the Olympic Games. A sense of disbelief swept across crowds of French sports fans who had always remained confident that they would win.
It is as yet uncertain whether Paris will make future bids for the Olympic Games. The London 2012 Games means that it would be highly unlikely that Paris would host the Olympics for some time after 2012, due to Paris' close proximity to London, and that the Games would have been held in Europe twice in eight years (see:
Athens 2004 ). At a time when relations between the
UK and
France are at a particularly low point, due to conflicting views on the
War In Iraq and differences on the future of the
European Union , the decision to host the 2012 Games was yet another element to sour British-French relations. But many see it as the latest chapter in the centuries-old rivalry and
One-upmanship between two old and bitter friends who were once sworn enemies.
