Published: 16:22, July 21, 2024
Stage set for Paris 2024, says IOC President Bach
By Xinhua
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach delivers a speech during the IOC executive board meeting in Paris, on July 20, 2024, six days ahead of the opening ceremony of the Olympics. (PHOTO / AFP)

PARIS - International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said the stage is set for the Games as the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee reported to the IOC Executive Board its final stages of readiness on Saturday.

"What we can see here, and I'm now myself. I have been here for more than a week, and wherever you come and go, you see that the lights are on green. The preparations are going very well. The stage is set," said Bach.

The organizing committee reported that it is on the final straight. Nearly half of all National Olympic Committees are now in Paris, with 2,000 athletes already living in the Olympic Village and training for the events.

The Olympic rings are seen on the Eiffel Tower on June 7, 2024 in Paris. (PHOTO / AP)

The first competitions are scheduled for July 24, two days before the opening ceremony, while 8.8 million tickets have been sold so far.

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"We have an organizing committee which remains vigilant, which does not ignore any kind of challenges which you always have when you're organizing the most complex event in this world. And all this can give us really great confidence in looking forward to these Games," Bach added.