It was while addressing an assembly of "sportsmen, teams, managers and citizens" in the
hall of mirrors at the Hôtel de Ville that Bertrand Delanoë announced Paris's bid to organise
the 2012 Olympic Games. This candidature, he said, "arose from an Olympic desire shared
by sportsmen and women, Parisians and the people of the Ile-de-France region" and was supported
by the State, the region and businesses.
Bertrand Delanoë intends to hold Games which are "emblems of civilisation at the service
of peace, at the service of life", which are "ecological" and guided by principles of
"simplicity". "These will not be the Games of vanity, wastefulness or showiness",
the Mayor of Paris added. "They will be the Games of performance and efficiency".
Although he could not say which venues would host the 2012 Games,
Bertrand Delanoë pointed out that the earlier dossier used for Paris 2008 was "technically excellent" and would "be used to prepare the dossier for 2012".
In putting forward this bid, "we intend to be the best, and we intend to win,"
the Mayor of Paris concluded.
Jean-François Lamour, Minister of Sports, and Jean-Paul Huchon, President of the
Regional Council, representing the French Government and the Ile-de-France region,
respectively, also addressed the assembly.
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