A poll released Sunday reveals 73 percent across France support Paris’ bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games,
Of those polled 30 percent said they gave full support to the project while 43 percent said they were somewhat supportive; 26 percent said they opposed the bid.
The survey, conducted by Odoxa for RTL radio and online gaming group Winamax, polled 1,008 people and was taken June 21 and 22 as the French Capital was preparing for Olympic Day celebrations across the city.
Further, 73 percent across France believe Paris can defeat rival Los Angeles to host the 2024 Games, up from only 49% last year.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is studying the possibility of awarding both the 2024 and 2028 Games to Paris and Los Angeles and could approve the idea at a full membership session on July 11. That would make the campaign a race to see which city will host the earlier year.
Both Paris and LA claim they are only aiming for 2024 but Paris has further emphasized that the project it presents is not available for 2028 due to land availability.
On Saturday, at Olympic Day celebrations that turned central Paris into a giant sport park along the Seine, French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his strong support for the Games and maintained that he will travel to the July 11 meeting in Lausanne as well as to the final election in Lima, Peru on September 13 in order to show his backing for the project to the IOC.
A poll conducted last year examining support for the LA 2024 bid showed 88 percent back the bid in the U.S. city.
The IOC conducted its own polls of support in each city earlier this year as part of the technical evaluation process and have already reviewed those results with the individual bids. The numbers will be published as part of an IOC evaluation report due early next month.
