The Founding Committee of Paris 2012, the organisation behind Paris’ Bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, held its official meeting today and have agreed on ground-breaking policy on transportation, venues and dates for staging the Games. These will enable Paris 2012 to complete its Candidature File to be delivered to the International Olympic Committee on 15 November 2004. The Committee’s decisions will significantly help Paris 2012 meet the IOC’s requirements and aspirations for the future of the Olympic Games.

Bertrand Delanoë, Mayor of Paris and President of Paris 2012, said: “Staging the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris would help regenerate the City in many ways, while meeting the IOC’s requirements. We believe the decisions that were adopted at unanimity by the Founding Committee today significantly strengthen our proposal in that sense and infuse more tangible elements into our Love of Games, what we called ‘L’Amour des Jeux’.”

Philippe Baudillon, Chief Executive Officer of Paris 2012, said: “We are delighted that the Founding Committee has agreed on these radical steps. Paris 2012 is restless and we never cease in our search for excellence. We are always seeking to improve the technical aspects of our Bid right up until the last minute”.

Full details of the plans will be revealed after the Candidature File is submitted. The outline agreements include the following items.

Aggressive Transport Plan

An aggressive strategic Plan for Transport has been adopted by the Paris 2012 Committee, which will see a 28 kilometre Olympic Lane built on the “Ring Road” boulevard. This lane will offer optimal transport conditions between competition venues and the Olympic Village, for athletes and the greater Olympic Family. In addition, public transport services between Olympic sites will be reinforced, to guarantee that spectators can enjoy the best transport conditions possible.

A plan to accelerate the development of transport facilities for disabled people was also voted in during the session. People with reduced mobility will now enjoy improved access to the Parisian and Ile-de-France network, with the committee aiming to have most of the metro and train stations accessible to disabled people by 2012.

Sites for competition venues solidified

The Paris 2012 Committee has elected to form two clusters of competition venues, in the west and in north of the capital. Two-thirds of the competition will be concentrated in these two clusters, significantly reinforcing security, while simplifying transport between venues.

Inside the North cluster, a “Super Dome” will be constructed, serving as a symbol of the reconnection between Paris and its nearest North suburbs. This Super Dome will serve as one of the main sporting legacies of the 2012 Games and will host the Gymnastics competition.

In the Western cluster, aggressive regeneration and development planning of the Bois de Boulogne will take place to allow the creation of an additional two hectares of green spaces around Roland-Garros.

The Eiffel Tower, the iconic Parisian landmark, will become one of the centrepieces of the competition, having been selected to start the opening competition event for the Games – the Triathlon. The swimming leg of the Triathlon will take place at the foot of the Tower in the Seine River, offering exceptional views to spectators onsite and around the world. The Eiffel Tower will also host the beach volleyball tournaments and act as the starting point for the Marathon and road time trial cycling events.

Lastly, all events in the modern Pentathlon will occur around the historic site of the 1900 Olympic Games in the Croix Catelan, while all basket ball and handball competitions will be hosted in one single Pavillion, following a consultation with the International Federations.

Dates for the Games selected