Parisians were outside showing off their athletic abilities in hopes of hosting the 2024 Olympics.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo talked about why the event was so beneficial.
“Today Parisians and visitors, will really be able to take advantage of all these sports set up on these beautiful sites, on the banks of the Seine. The banks really allow people to rediscover and to enjoy the river, the city, to have a more calm city, that’s what sport also does,” she said.
A diver did a spectacular dive into the Seine off a bridge, while Hidalgo and others rode canoes and kayaks. Athletes also competed in friendly races. French Olympic champs came out to support the events.
French Olympic Judo Champion Teddy Riner expressed a hope in Olympic bidding that many Parisians can relate to.
Runners compete on an athletics track that floats on the River Seine, in Paris, France on June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Platiau
“We can already feel this Olympic Games vibe in Paris. Now we have to continue to hold days like these, continue to live moments like this so that we can hope to win on September 13 in Lima. But in any case, when you see all these people, this crowd, everything we share leading up to the Olympic Games, to this candidacy, it’s extraordinary. I really hope we get it, I hope we will live great moments like this in Paris,” he said.
The city wanted to show off potential Olympic facilities and that it was Olympics ready.
Either Los Angeles or Paris will host the 2024 Summer Games. The last time Paris hosted the Olympics was 1924.
Paris has been edged out of hosting the Olympics for years, that’s why the push is getting stronger and hopes are high for 2024.
French athletes (L-R) G. Gilles, Nantenin Keita, Teddy Rinner, Marie-Jose Perec, Renaud Lavillenie, Heather Arneton, Nicolas Batum, Sarah Ourahmoune pose before the start for a 100m race on an athletics track installed on the River Seine in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier
French police patrol on the Pont Alexandre III bridge near the Invalides in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo (R) and the co-president of the Paris bid for the 2024 Olympics Tony Estanguet paddle on the Seine River in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Martin Bureau/Pool
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo (R) and the co-president of the Paris bid for the 2024 Olympics Tony Estanguet paddle on the Seine River in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Martin Bureau/Pool
A general view from the Pont Alexandre III bridge shows an athletics track that floats on the River Seine, with the Eiffel tower in the background, in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Platiau
Kayakers are seen on the River Seine near the Pont Alexandre III bridge in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo waves to kayakers on the River Seine in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier/POOL
A diver performs from the Pont Alexandre III bridge into the River Seine in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
(L-R) President of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) Denis Masseglia, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Olynpic champion Marie-Jose Perec, and Tony Estanguet, co-president of the Paris candicacy for the 2024 Olympics, pose on an athletics track installed on the River Seine in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier
A general view from the Pont Alexandre III bridge shows an athletics track on the River Seine, with the Eiffel tower in the background, in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Platiau
Hundreds of canoe and kayakers paddle under the Pont Alexandre III bridge on the River Seine in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Platiau
Colin Fredericson
Reporter
Colin is a New York-based reporter. He covers Entertainment, U.S., and international news. Besides writing for online news outlets he has worked in online marketing and advertising, done voiceover work, and has a background in sound engineering and filmmaking. His foreign language skills include Spanish and Chinese.
