Havana, July 27 (JIT) - With exactly one year to go until the opening ceremony, the IOC officially invited the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and their best athletes to participate in the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, which will take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024 in Paris. 

During a ceremony held Wednesday at the Pulse headquarters of Paris 2024, IOC President Thomas Bach symbolically handed out invitations to the presidents and representatives of the NOCs of Greece, as the birthplace of the Olympic Games, and of the host countries of the most recent and future editions, including the Youth, as well as to the IOC's Refugee Olympic Team.

A NEW ERA OF THE GAMES

President Bach expressed his enthusiasm to welcome Paris 2024 for what will be a new era of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

These are the first planned and delivered in accordance with the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, serving as a model that will help shape future editions.

"Today, one year away from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, we are celebrating a new stage in this great story. With Paris 2024, we can look forward to the advent of a new era. These Olympic Games will be more inclusive, younger, more urban and more sustainable. They will be the first to be held with perfect gender parity. In this way and many others, we can look forward to a Games that fits our Olympic Agenda from start to finish," said Bach.

Paris 2024 has minimized construction. The Games will be held with 95 percent of existing or temporary venues. It also targets a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions compared to London 2012 and Rio 2016, making it the first Games aligned with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which governments signed in 2015.

The Games will be the first with gender parity. The IOC has allocated exactly the same number of quotas for male and female athletes. The competitions will take place in the heart of Paris. For example, at the Eiffel Tower and the Place de la Concorde. For the first time in history, the opening ceremony will be held in the heart of a city, with the Seine River as the backdrop for a sensational welcome for the world's best athletes.

Every visitor will not only be a spectator, but also a participant. Paris 2024 has included a 30-minute daily exercise period in French primary school curricula, with the goal of reaching 4.2 million pupils in the country. The Marathon Pour Tous (Marathon for All) will give 40,000 walkers the unique experience of running on the same course as the Olympic marathon.

THE UNIFYING POWER OF THE GAMES

The mission of the Olympic Games is to unite the entire world in peaceful competition, President Bach added during the invitation ceremony.

"In our fragile world, with conflicts, divisions and wars on the rise, we need this unifying power more than ever. The Olympic Games must always build bridges of understanding and friendship," he said.

In total, invitations have been sent to 203 NOCs. This excludes Guatemala, which is currently suspended, as well as Russia and Belarus.

The IOC has announced that it will make a decision on the participation of individual neutral athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports, in accordance with recommendations for international federations and event organizers.

EXCITEMENT IS GROWING

Excitement in France and the world is growing, as evidenced by the high demand for tickets. Nearly seven million tickets have been purchased so far. The Paris 2024 Organizing Committee pledged to make the "Games wide open" and accessible to as many people as possible.

This includes an affordable pricing structure, with tickets for all sports available for as little as €24 for the Olympics and €15 for the Paralympics, and with around 50% of the slots at €50 or less.

PREPARATIONS CONTINUE

Before receiving their invitations, NOC representatives present in Paris joined President Bach for a tour of the Olympic Village and a special celebration with athletes and other stakeholders on the Seine River.

At the ceremony, which featured several performances celebrating French culture, Paris 2024 Coordination Commission President Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujat and Paris 2024 incumbent Tony Estanguet outlined the organization's latest developments.