Dame Tessa Jowell MP, former Secretary of State for the Olympic Games has proposed that a one per cent tax on hotel stays should be brought in to fund events, culture and youth development in London.

The tax could raise GB£50m per year, London newspaper the Evening Standard reported. 

These funds would be used to stage events such as the New Year’s Eve Fireworks, as well as creating a culture fund for local boroughs, enabling town halls to apply for funds to host free community events. 

The revenues would also be diverted to helping create equal access to cultural and leisure activities for children in London. According to the Department for Work and Pensions, the families of 200,000 London children can’t afford leisure equipment such as bicycles, while 100,000 can’t afford extra-curricular activities such as music lessons.

Other major world cities such as Paris and Rome already tax tourists on their hotel stays. In New York City, non-residents are charged more than 14 per cent on their hotel bills to contribute to city’s finances. 

The tax could only be introduced in London if the government grants new powers to the Mayor and London’s boroughs.

Dame Tessa Jowell is the pollster’s favourite to be Labour’s candidate for the Mayor of London. The Mayor will be elected in May 2017. 

The former Secretary of State responsible for all planning of Olympic bid and implementation was a member of the London Olympic Board from 2010 to 2012. During the Games, she was Deputy Mayor of the Olympic Village

She is speaking in the opening panel discussion on “Why Events Matter to Cities" at HOST CITY 2015: The Largest Meeting of Cities and Sports, Culture and Business Events on 27 and 28 October.

A partnership between Balfour Beatty and Places for People has been awarded a contract to create 1,500 new homes on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

With property prices spiralling in the UK capital, up to 30 of the housing is to be affordable and 500 properties will be for rental. 

“This is the most successful and fastest growing city anywhere in Europe, and it is absolutely vital we provide thousands of new houses to allow people to live close to their places of work,” said Boris Johnson, mayor of London.

“I am thrilled to confirm we have now appointed high quality developers to help bring forward plans for these important new neighbourhoods on our iconic Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, a whopping six years ahead of target.” 

The joint venture between Places for People and Balfour Beatty was awarded the contact through a competitive process involving a shortlist of six other candidates.

“We are delighted by the high quality of the bid from Places for People and Balfour Beatty, which offers exciting opportunities for local people, businesses and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park,” said David Goldstone, chief executive of London Legacy Development Corporation, responsible for redeveloping the park.

Over the next eight years, Balfour Beatty is to invest up to £35 million in the project – 50 per cent of the equity required. 

Balfour Beatty is to deliver the entire construction aspect of the property development, which it anticipates will create approximately £400 million of revenue. 

“I look forward to continuing our strong partnership with the London Legacy Development Corporation to ensure that commitments made as part of the London 2012 Games are delivered by not only creating new communities but also new jobs, and apprenticeships for young people wanting to join the growing infrastructure sector,” said Leo Quinn, chief executive of Balfour Beatty Group.

“With our partner, Places for People, we are very excited to be able to create these new, vibrant, sustainable communities for East London.”

Two new neighbourhoods are to be created, East Wick and Sweetwater, both at the western side of the park.

The designs include terraced and mews houses, in keeping with London’s residential architecture.

850 new homes and a primary school will be built in East Wick, in the north west of the Park next to Hackney Wick and the digital quarter, Here East.

650 new homes, a primary school and a health centre will be built in Sweetwater, in the south-west of the Park near Old Ford and the Copper Box Arena.

"This is East London's moment and it's our big moment too and we are thrilled to have been selected to be part of the transformation of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park,” said David Cowans, chief executive of Places for People. 

“With our partner, Balfour Beatty, we have the perfect opportunity to work with the London Legacy Development Corporation to create a truly unique and exciting place to live.”

The project is set to be complete by 2023, bringing the new housing to the park six years earlier than scheduled in the original legacy masterplan. 

The Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games is to return to London’s former Olympic Stadium from 24 to 26 July 2015, Mo Farah announced on Monday. 

And from 2016, British Athletics will host a month of athletics in the stadium in an annual “festival” under a 50-year agreement. 

The 2015 Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games will include a two-day Diamond League meeting on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 July, with the Sainsbury’s IPC Athletics Grand Prix Final taking place on Sunday 26 July.

Double Olympic 10,000m and 5,000m Champion Mo Farah returned to the former Olympic Stadium on Monday to launch the event, which is due to take place in the iconic venue at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

“It’s fantastic that the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games is planning to return to the former Olympic Stadium this summer and I can’t wait to get back on this track to compete, at what will be a stunning celebration of athletics,” Farah said.

“The atmosphere will be amazing and I’m sure it will bring back the memories of London 2012 and the inaugural Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games in 2013.

“I hope the British public will be as excited as I am about this event, and will come out to support the athletes. I’m sure it will be the best outdoor meet this year and a great send off to the World Championships.”

Tickets are due to go on sale at the end of April and demand is expected to be high. All 65,000 tickets for the 2013 anniversary Grand Prix athletics on 26 and 27 July sold out in just 75 minutes.  

“Seeing the likes of Mo Farah return to the Olympic Stadium for the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games will be one of this year’s monumental sporting events,” said Tara Hewitt, head of sponsorship at Sainsbury’s.

On 26 July, Paralympic stars from all over the world are to compete at the stadium and the London Aquatics Centre. The events will coincide with National Paralympic Day and the Mayor of London’s Liberty Festival.

“I am excited to announce that National Paralympic Day will be returning this year with elite sports competitions in both Swimming and Athletics, as well as lots of fun, family-friendly activity on the Park,” said Tim Hollingsworth, chief executive of the British Paralympic Association.

“Over 50,000 people have taken up the chance to come to the Park to be part National Paralympic Day over the past two years and relive the wonder of the London 2012 Paralympics.”

The stadium is currently closed as work continues to transform it into the new national competition centre for British Athletics in 2016 and the permanent home of West Ham United FC. 

The stadium, designed by Populous, is currently being reconfigured from its Olympic Games mode to optimise it for hosting several events later this year including the Sainsbury's Anniversary Games and five Rugby World Cup matches.

Under an agreement with British Athletics, the stadium will host athletics competitions for one month of every year from 2016 for fifty years. 

“The Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games this summer will mark the start of new athletics legacy at the former Olympic Stadium,” said British Athletics Chief Executive, Niels de Vos. 

“For one month a year the Stadium will be the beating heart of athletics in this country and we want the nation to get excited about it and be part of it.

“As well as hosting the best international competitions in the world we need to create a two, three or four-week festival where that stadium is buzzing with athletics and fans every day.”

VINCI Stadium has been appointed to manage the former Olympic Stadium at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for a 25 year period, starting before the England 2015 Rugby World Cup. 

The deal with London is VINCI’s first stadium contract outside France. 

The contract was awarded by E20, a joint venture between the London Legacy Development Corporation and Newham Council. 

“The E20 Stadium LLP awarded the contract to run the former Olympic Stadium to VINCI Stadium in recognition of VINCI's expertise and the business model it has developed for the operation of multi-purpose arenas, including the Stade de France,” said Pierre Coppey, Chief Operating Officer of VINCI.

“In addition to broadening the range of events offered at this amazing venue, VINCI Stadium will work with the E20 Stadium Partnership to develop and revitalise East London for the benefit of citizens.”

The venue, designed by Populous in a modular way that enables it to be repurposed for legacy use, is currently being transformed into a multi-use stadium. 

“This marks another step forward in the long-term future of the Stadium. VINCI have a great track record and a wealth of experience in managing world-class venues,” said David Goldstone, chief executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation. 

“We are looking forward to working with them and delivering a multi-use stadium capable of hosting a range of different sports and events, including this autumn’s Rugby World Cup.”

The stadium will host five matches of Rugby World Cup 2015, starting with France vs. Romania on 23 September and ending with the bronze final match on 30 October.

The venue will not fully reopen until 2016. Premier League football club West Ham United are to take up tenancy of the stadium, which will also act as the national competition venue for UK Athletics.

VINCI Stadium currently operates a network of stadia in France including the Stade de France in Paris, the Allianz Riviera in Nice, the New Bordeaux Stadium and the MMArena in Le Mans. 

The Olympic stadium is currently being transformed into a multi-use venue. It will host five matches of Rugby World Cup 2015 before fully re-opening in 2016 when it will become the home of West Ham United.

“Managing the basic day-to-day operations at a Premier League football stadium is a unique challenge, so we will be passing on our extensive experience and expertise to Vinci to ensure they provide the same high levels of service our supporters have become accustomed to at the Boleyn Ground,” said Karren Brady, vice-chairman of West Ham United.

“While Vinci will manage the functional aspects of the matchday operation, we will still be overseeing the overall supporter experience to make sure watching West Ham remains one of the very best days out in the Premier League.”

The stadium will also be the national competition venue for UK Athletics and will be the venue for the IAAF 2017 World Athletics Championships and 2017 IPC Athletics World Championships.

"The Olympic Stadium will be the new home of British Athletics, staging a wide range of events from mass participation runs to elite track and field meetings,” said Ed Warner, chairman of UK Athletics and London 2017.

“We look forward to working closely with VINCI to deliver all of these events, and in particular the twin World Championships in the summer of 2017, in London's most iconic sporting venue."

As well as running the stadium, VINCI will manage the London Marathon Charitable Trust Community Track and events on the south park lawn, below the ArcelorMittal Orbit. 

They will also work with the E20 Stadium Partnership to promote sport and healthy living in the local area and deliver mass participation events such as the Great Newham London Run.

“This is more good news in our goal to deliver a long-lasting legacy from London’s Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Boris Johnson, mayor of London.

“VINCI is a world-class operator and set to be a key partner in the creation of a spectacular stadium offering a dynamic range of sport and attractions for Londoners to enjoy.”

5,500 tonnes of steel and 6km of cabling are being used in the transformation of the stadium. The 14 floodlight panels were removed to make way for the new roof. 

During renovation, the existing running track is being protected by a 75cm deep mat of recycled concrete.

The rebuilt Olympic Stadium will include 21,000 retractable seats, which are said to allow closer pitch-side viewing during football matches while allowing the running track to remain in place.

Full capacity will be 54,000 seats in football mode, 60,000 in athletics and 80,000 for concerts.

Alongside the main stadium, a new floodlit 400m community athletics track, funded by the London Marathon Charitable Trust will be built for use by the local community, schools and will host a resident athletics club – the Newham & Essex Beagles. 

Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales said “We look forward to working with VINCI to ensure the Stadium is a world class visitor attraction that delivers job opportunities, community benefits and increased sports participation that transforms the lives of those living in London’s East End, but especially the residents of Newham.”

HOST CITY: Having hosted the biggest and best event in the world in 2012, what type and scale of events is London aiming to host over the next 10 years? 

Iain Edmondson: We have secured a calendar of championships for Olympic sports, such as European Hockey 2015, World Track Cycling 2016 and the World Athletics 2017 in the permanent Olympic venues. 

And there’s the Rugby World Cup next year, which takes place in existing venues and the new assets we have, including the Olympic stadium. Complementing that are events where London provides the opportunity to globalise, like the NFL. 

What was once termed a decade of sport has now been rounded off with the announcement that the 2020 European football championships will be finishing here, with the semi-finals and finals. 

What we are doing now is to see how we can bring our reputation from sport and major events into the cultural content that we have. People visit London largely because it is a diverse city with great attractions in a number of different ways – not just museums and galleries but the performing arts that appeal to people throughout the year.

You see some great examples of light festivals in cities around the world in the winter. The idea of a London Light Festival is something that we are looking at seriously.

HOST CITY: How seriously are you considering a bid for the 2025 World Expo?

Iain Edmondson: Very seriously. Our experience of delivering major international events over the past decade means we now have the capability to evaluate the practicalities as well as potential benefits of hosting the biggest and the best, like a World Expo. 

Ten years or so ago we wouldn’t have had the same degree of understanding and intelligence to look at its potential to deliver our strategy and aims for London. We are better placed to consider whether or not the World Expo is right for the city and whether we want to enter the race. 

If you are going to host something of that scale you need certain infrastructure, so we have looked into that as well. We are looking at the assets in the city that we have now, like Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, what the situation might be for London in ten years’ time and how this might align with an Expo. 

The good thing is that the Mayor understands the power of major events and wants to hear recommendations as to whether we should bid or not.

HOST CITY: What do you think the owners of major events are most looking for in a host city?

Iain Edmondson: There are basic factors that you’ve got to be able to demonstrate, such as transport and security, but one the biggest is the ability to reach an audience. Rights holders are interested in the markets where the events are hosted. If you’ve got partners that are proactively investing in engaging with and marketing events, then that is appealing to rights owners.

HOST CITY: How can London compete with emerging markets in this space?

Iain Edmondson: We are one of the best in the world in terms of an event-going public, so there is an appetite to attend and physically spectate. We are also one of the best from a media perspective, to be able reach people who aren’t seeing an event in person, but through media channels and the press. 

Our challenge compared to some competitors is the ability to justify large sums of investment up front from public funds, because the business case for investing multi-millions in destination marketing for a city that is already established is different to a new city that needs to make a mark. 

But we are working with the Mayor and all the difference agencies in the city to demonstrate that you don’t necessarily need that. We can still work to provide a commercially successful event, without having a large cash downpayment where there isn’t necessarily an audience behind it. However, there are often other grounds for justifying public investment, such as the long term business benefits where London has proven to have invested wisely over the past decade.

HOST CITY: What do rights holders need to do make bidding more attractive to cities?

Iain Edmondson: Transparency is a must-have for public democratic processes where big money is open to scrutiny. We work in an environment where we expect to be asked awkward questions and justify the answers. 

If a bid process is open and transparent, you can choose to engage or not. It’s just a minimum requirement that everyone can see up front the basis on which they are making decisions. 

Another thing that is important is recognising the ability for rights holders to work in partnership with hosts. The city staffs the event and puts together commercial deals – they often become the people with the most invested in the success of it, so if the rights owner can work closely with the city and understand its aspirations for hosting it, it’s more often going to be a win-win on both sides. 

For example, the ASO are very well resourced; they have looked after the Tour de France for a hundred years. We’ve had some good experience of working with them in 2007 and 2014 and they understand what the host brings.

But some smaller federations often don’t have the capacity to do a lot of detailed planning. The more they can work together and align the events with the expectations of host cities, the better.

For more information about London’s event plans visit www.londonandpartners.com/events

As London’s City Hall weighs up whether to go head to head with Paris and bid for the 2025 World Expo, Tessa Jowell told HOST CITY that the benefit to the nation as a whole should be a key consideration of a bid.

The former Olympics minister Jowell was a major driving force behind London’s successful Games bid and is a popular contender to become the next mayor of London.

Asked whether she thought London should bid for the World Expo in 2025, Jowell told HOST CITY “It’s not a simple yes or no, but yes, we should certainly undertake the feasibility and be very clear about what the benefits are for London and the UK, beyond the duration of the Expo as an event in its own right.

“You look at every aspect of the development and you say ‘how can we spread the benefit; how can we make sure that businesses outside London know about the possibility of tendering for the contracts?’ 

London 2012 could set the template here, Jowell indicated. “We avoided displacement from the regions to London’s benefit by ensuring that nearly 50 per cent of the contracts were let to businesses around the country, and the whole country derived benefit.

“Before bidding for the Expo, London needs to ask ‘What’s the possibility of diffusing, dispersing events outside the host city?’

“The Olympics is very strict about that; you have to have a host city, but we were able to have training camps around the country, which gave a bit of Olympic excitement and Olympic magic right across the UK.

“It was a Games that was so true to the city that London is – the greatest city in the world, open, diverse, tolerant – that’s what the Games captured so beautifully, and I think that’s why not just Londoners but people from all around the UK took the Games to their hearts.”

Jowell played a crucial role in evaluating the feasibility of London’s Olympic bid and driving the bid forward. 

“My role was to turn my personal belief that this would be great for the country into a proposition that had credibility and could be sold to the whole cabinet, every department of government, all the key supporting organisation and then the chancellor of the exchequer and the prime minister,” she told HOST CITY.

“I set a number of tests against which the proposition could be judged. Was it affordable? Could we deliver it? Would there be a legacy? And could we win the bid against Paris, who was the other key contender at the time?”

President Francois Hollande announced Paris’s candidacy for the 2025 World Expo on 4th November, saying “France is capable of great events, major projects,” with French Prime minister Manuel Valls in October describing the World Expo as a “magnificent opportunity for the image of Paris and of France in the world.”

Mayoral race to follow general election

Dame Tessa Jowell confirmed to HOST CITY that she is seriously considering standing for the nomination as Labour’s candidate to be mayor of London after stepping down as MP at general election on 7 May. 

“Now is not the moment for a formal declaration because we have a general election to fight and I hope to win, and that’s what I am focussed on,” she told HOST CITY.

“I think you’ve got to take these things in their natural sequence. The general election is the biggest challenge facing us at the moment.”

A recent YouGov poll showed that Tessa Jowell would not only be the most popular candidate among Labour supporters, but also enjoy the strongest cross-party support.

Labour MP Sadiq Khan is set to be the new Mayor of London as counting nears completion following Thursday’s election. Khan stood against four rival candidates including the Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith. 

He is set to succeed Conservative MP Boris Johnson, who led London for two terms which included the delivery of the Olympic Games in 2012. The Host City contract for London 2012 was signed by former Mayor Ken Livingstone.

Shortly before the election Khan outlined his priorities in an editorial in The Guardian newspaper. Affordable housing was top of the agenda, but he also set out his plans to assure that transport affordable. 

“Londoners now face the most expensive transport of almost any major city,” he wrote. “I will freeze fares for four years, and introduce ‘Hopper’ bus tickets, so that people can have unlimited changes within one hour.”

With Khan as Mayor, London can hope to see an improvement in air quality. 

“As someone who lives with adult-onset asthma I know how bad air quality in the capital has become,” he wrote. 

“I want to be the greenest mayor London has ever had – it is not acceptable that 10,000 people die in London every year because our air is so filthy. That’s why I have ambitious plans to make green London’s bus fleet and remove the filthiest vehicles from our roads.

He also pledged to improve security in the capital of the UK.“While the cost of living in London has soared, the number of police officers making our city safe has plummeted. Conservative cuts mean there are 1,500 fewer officers on London’s streets, and violent crime levels are up in every single borough. I will make policing a priority, and work to tackle sexual assaults on public transport and the unacceptable rise in hate crime.”

But the clearest message of Khan’s campaign was on tackling the runaway cost of accommodation. “Our city is living through the worst housing crisis in a generation, rents are sky-high and the average cost of a home in London is more than £500,000,” he wrote. 

“If I become mayor of London, my single biggest priority will be to build thousands more homes every year. I will set a target to make half of all the new homes that are built genuinely affordable, with first dibs for Londoners.”

Khan, who is set to be the first Muslim mayor of a major western city, was nominated Labour’s candidate for the mayoral contest ahead of former Olympics Minister Dame Tessa Jowell. 

Host City would like to thank Dame Tessa Jowell and former Mayors Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone for all their contributions to and invaluable support of Host City; and to welcome Sadiq Khan's plans for London.

Pavegen, a UK-based tech company renowned for its kinetic energy-generating floor tiles, turned dance moves into electricity, engaging the audience in the sold-out UEFA Champions Festival Friday Night Show in Trafalgar Square on May 31.

The event, held in collaboration with the Champions Innovate Programme and Rockstar Energy Drink, marked the first time a music performance in Trafalgar Square was powered by the kinetic energy of the audience.

The highlight of the festival, the Friday Night Show, headlined by BRIT Award-winning band Rudimental, blended the excitement of football and music, drawing a diverse crowd. Over 6,300 attendees danced on Pavegen’s kinetic tiles, generating energy that powered Rudimental’s DJ booth and microphone during their electrifying set.

Festival-goer Daniel, a Londoner, said, “I really like this dance floor, it’s great, it feels so responsive - it’s cool that it’s the first time ever something like this has been done in Trafalgar Square!” Amir from Surrey added, “It’s amazing how the floor is making electricity for the show. It makes me want to dance more!”

“Our participation in the UEFA Champions Festival has been a phenomenal success,” said Laurence Kemball-Cook, CEO of Pavegen. “It's so simple, you just need to dance to generate power on our technology. Feeling the energy and enthusiasm from the crowd and seeing Pavegen in action, powering such an iconic event, was truly inspiring. We’re proud to partner with UEFA and Rockstar Energy to demonstrate how innovative solutions can drive sustainability and community engagement.”

Bart LaCount, Vice President of International Beverages Marketing at PepsiCo, highlighted the collaborative effort. “The collaboration between Rockstar Energy Drink and Pavegen allowed us to take energy to another level,” he said. “Fans danced the night away while also contributing to power the event – thanks to the kinetic dance floor.”

Looking ahead, Pavegen plans to continue its partnership with Rockstar Energy Drink, repurposing the kinetic energy dance floor for future events to sustainably fuel a summer of music experiences.

The UEFA Champions Festival welcomed attendees from over 100 countries.

[Source: Super League Triathlon] London and Rotterdam will play host to two cutting edge professional triathlon events as the SLT Arena Games Powered by Zwift heads to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on March 27 before a spectacular return to the Netherlands on April 18.

British Olympic medal hopefuls Jonathan Brownlee, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee are already confirmed to take on the unique blend of real life and virtual racing in London, with more star names to be announced for both events in the coming weeks.

The SLT Arena Games Powered by Zwift took the triathlon world by storm on its debut in Rotterdam last year, drawing a huge audience thanks to its innovative and exciting indoor race concept, and leading to the 2021 events securing global broadcast deals that cover more than 100 territories.

Athletes complete three rounds of fast and furious action. The swim takes place in an Olympic sized pool and the bike and run legs on static equipment with the racing realised in the virtual world of Zwift, the world’s leading online training and racing platform, providing detailed data insights and up close and personal emotions of the competitors.

Super League Triathlon CEO, Michael D’hulst, said: “We are continuing to grow the SLT Arena Games Powered by Zwift and make it part of Super League’s yearly offering of exciting professional triathlon. Bringing an event to London is a big step for Super League and in line with our objectives for 2021 as we look to grow rapidly into key triathlon markets. We are also delighted to return to Rotterdam, which is where the SLT Arena Games Powered by Zwift started with a spectacular debut event.

“Broadcasters have recognised the success of the concept and the partnership between Super League Triathlon and Zwift, which has led to a major expansion of our global distribution so sport fans can watch live wherever they are in the world.

“We will make a few small tweaks to the format to improve the events further and have put together some fantastic line-ups. I can’t wait to see so many Olympic hopefuls racing at full throttle.”

“The first SLT Arena games was a true spectacle, and an ideal broadcast and spectator event,” says Eric Min, CEO & Co-Founder of Zwift.

“It’s great that the series will return, supported by Zwift. As a resident of London for many years, I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the next round in March in the beautiful Olympic pool in Stratford.

“Super League is today announcing the first athletes that will be competing in London, with a further eleven, plus the field for Rotterdam, to be released in the coming weeks.”

The  announcement focusses on a wave of British stars taking part in a home event, with World Champion Georgia Taylor-Brown and double Olympic medallist Jonathan Brownlee taking on a host of big names, including stars of longer distance triathlon such as Ruth Astle and George Goodwin.

The first edition of the SLT Arena Games was held in Rotterdam in August 2020 with more than 600,000 fans watching across Super League’s digital channels alone as Jessica Learmonth and Justus Nieschlag secured the inaugural titles.

The athletes face three stages of swim, bike and run, with the order of the legs shuffled every round. Each swim is 200m, bike 4km and run 1km.

The events will also be supported by Garmin, who will integrate the use of the Forerunner 945, HRM Pro and Tacx NEO 2T smart trainer to deliver even more data and insight to fans.

With the IOC’s coordination commission for Paris giving a ringing endorsement to the city’s Olympic project on their first inspection visit in June, organisers are maximising efforts to use the Games as a platform for major developments at the city, regional and national levels.

Amid reports of rising costs, IOC inspectors’ concerns were alleviated by a joint financing deal between Paris 2024, the city and French government guaranteeing €1.4 billion ($1.63bn) of funding for Olympic-related infrastructure. The agreement provides more certainty for two of the most controversial projects, channelling extra money to build a permanent aquatics centre with a redefined legacy concept and enhancing value for local residents around the Olympic Village site.

The post-Games plan for the aquatics venue will see the region of Seine-Saint-Denis receive nine swimming pools after the Games rather than the five initially planned, to plug a shortage of community sports facilities in the area. While the Olympic Village remains in its originally planned location, residents living nearby will benefit from the undergrounding of power lines, new housing and the creation of new green spaces.

Jean-François Martins, deputy mayor of Paris, says the city and Games officials are delivering on their ambitions thanks to the help of an agreement between the mayors of London and Paris.

“After Brexit [vote in 2016] Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Mayor Sadiq Khan decided not to be competitors but to have really strong relations between London and Paris and to create together, at the heart of Europe, cities that will shine on a worldwide scale,” he told Host City at SportAccord.

“So they decided to work together especially with the Olympics where the learnings, skills and experience of London will be precious for us and maybe as well we can share what we can do 12 years after London and to inspire each other.”

In addition to collaborating to combat societal issues, Hidalgo and Khan are undertaking huge efforts to tackle the global climate crisis. “Both of them are really committed in the fight against climate change… so we are putting the Olympics at the heart of the Paris agreement on climate change which will help us deliver an environmentally-friendly Games,” Martins added.

The two mayors are scheduling a conference in 2019 to discuss climate issues. “I am pretty optimistic about this cooperation,” he said.

Hidalgo is also chair of C40 Cities, which connects 96 cities to take climate action, and represents 700-plus million citizens and one quarter of the global economy. Organisers of the next four Olympics – in Tokyo, Beijing, Paris and Los Angeles – are supporting a new IOC partnership on climate issues inked with the C40 group at the end of June. They are working with interested cities, candidate cities and Olympic hosts to help them reach their sustainability goals.

C40 chair Hidalgo, who also heads Olympic delivery partner SOLIDEO, emphasised that hosting the Olympics “is a unique privilege for any city, and provides an amazing opportunity to accelerate the climate and air quality initiatives that mayors need to implement for the future of their citizens.”

It’s so far, so good for Paris 2024. The IOC coordination commission chair Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant was gushing with praise after the inspection visit.

“Paris 2024 is delivering on its commitment to host pioneering Olympic Games fully in line with Agenda 2020, the IOC’s strategic roadmap,” he said.

“I have been particularly impressed by the ambition of all of the stakeholders involved in this project to take advantage of the opportunity of the Games to create a springboard for the city, region and nation.”

This article first appeared in the Summer 2018 issue of Host City magazine. Jean-Francois Martins will be speaking on legacy planning for Paris 2024 at Host City 2018 in Glasgow on 20-21 November