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Paris mayor out of step with President Hollande over 2024 Olympics bid

Anne Hidalgo tells president to hold his horses after François Hollande backed the idea during prime-time live TV interview.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has asked French president François Hollande not to jump the gun as the capital considers whether to bid for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, reports Reuters.

"Nothing, nobody will have me change the agenda or the method as far as a Paris bid is concerned," Hidalgo, who like Hollande is a member of the Socialist Party, told a news conference on Friday.

Hidalgo's remarks come a day after Hollande said he was "in favor of the city of Paris presenting its candidacy, if it decides to do so."

The mayor said she had heard Hollande's comments only in the morning because she was on a plane on Thursday night, suggesting she had not been briefed by the president's Elysée staff.

On Tuesday, French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF) president Denis Masseglia said there were "strong possibilities" that the CNOSF would want to enter the race.

The CNOSF will announce in January if it wants to bid for the 2024 Games after the French Committee for International Sport (CFSI) publishes a study into the possibility of a bid.

Hidalgo said she was merely asking Hollande to respect that agenda.

"I'm asking for the respect of the ongoing collective work," she explained, reminding everyone that no decision should be made before next year.

"I'm also asking for the respect of the Parisians."

Read more of this report from Reuters.