Paris Bid For The 2012 Summer Olympics - Future Bids

Future Bids

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 with a history of rivalry. The decision of either Paris or London for 2012 would also be historic as either city would have become the first 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 were 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.

Paris may bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. They were considering a bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics but decided to wait until 2024. Hosting in 2024 would mark 100 years since Paris hosted the 1924 Summer Olympics which was the last time they hosted. If Paris hosts the 2024 Games they would become the second city after London to host the Olympics three times.