By Amelia Fisher-Starzynski, Lausanne, July 10, 2017: A day ahead of the IOC Extraordinary Session in Lausanne, Paris 2024 has welcomed the support of more than 100 international athletes committed to the French bid for the 2024 Games (Paris 2024 boosted unprecedented support).
With the backing of elite athletes from across five continents – including many Olympic, Paralympic and world champions – Paris 2024 can count on an international community of athletes, who are fully engaged in the bid, to represent the Paris 2024 project abroad.
Alongside the French champions already mobilised, such as Marie-Amélie Le Fur, Teddy Riner, Zinedine Zidane and Marie-José Perec, the international athletes will help share Paris 2024’s vision beyond the borders of France, sending a message to the world in support of the French bid.
Among the international athletes who have given their support for Paris 2024 are:
– Rafael Nadal, Double Olympic champion (Tennis, Spain)
– Dan Carter, Double World Champion (Rugby, New Zealand)
– Elaine Thompson, Double Olympic Champion (100m & 200m, Jamaica)
– Wilson Kipketer, Double Olympic medallist (Athletics, Denmark)
– Ana Maria Popescu, Olympic Champion (Fencing, Romania)
– Mariana Pajon, Double Olympic champion (BMX, Colombia)
– Ruth Jebet, Olympic Champion (3000m Steeplechase, Bahrain)
– Cheick Cissé, Olympic Champion (Taekwondo, Ivory Coast)
– Gordon Reid, Paralympic Champion (Wheelchair Tennis, United Kingdom)
– Mikkel Hansen, Olympic champion (Handball, Denmark)
– Olga Brusnikina, Triple Olympic champion (Synchronised Swimming, Russia)
– Venuste Niyongabo, Olympic champion (Athletics, Burundi)
– Sue Wenyan, Triple Olympic champion (Synchronized Swimming, China)
Engaged alongside the French candidacy, several athletes have already carried out specific actions to promote the bid, including:
• During the Rio 2016 Games, Raï, Brazilian footballer and former world champion, carried out several social actions to help disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro.
• Gustavo Kuerten, triple winner of Roland Garros, celebrated 20 years since his first title at Roland Garros by inviting the public to support Paris 2024 at this year’s tournament.
• Sergio Parisse, captain of Italy’s rugby team, presented Stade Jean Bouin, Paris 2024’s proposed rugby venue, to members of the IOC Evaluation Commission.
• Tegla Loroupe, former marathon world record holder and Chef de Mission of the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Rio Games, attended Paris 2024’s activation on World Refugee Day this year.
In total, the internationally renowned athletes standing with Paris 2024 boast 105 Olympic and Paralympic medals and include 32 Olympic and Paralympic champions.
With 206 nations and nearly 15,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes involved every four years, the Games represent a remarkable coming together of the world around the values of Olympism. By uniting athletes from other countries around its bid, Paris 2024 hopes to echo the spirit, camaraderie and inclusive nature of the Games.
From the outset, the French candidature has placed athletes at the heart of its project, dedicated to delivering a spectacular celebration of sport designed for athletes, by athletes.
Tony Estanguet, Co-Chair of the Paris 2024 Bid Committee and Vice-Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, said:
“Beyond sport, the Games are a great opportunity for athletes from different countries and different sports to come together to share and celebrate the values of Olympism. We have ensured athletes have been at the heart of our bid from the earliest stages of its development and Paris 2024 is proud to count on the support of these international athletes as we prepare our project for the next important step in Lausanne.”
French Athlete Ambassadors
| French Athlete Ambassadors | |
| Tony Parker (Basketball) | Zinedine Zidane (Football) |
| Rudy Gobert (Basketball) | Antoine Griezmann (Football) |
| Teddy Riner (Judo) | Nikola Karabatic (Handball) |
| Marie-Amélie Le Fur (Para-Athletics) | Nicolas Batum (Basketball) |
| Marie-Jo Pérec (Athletics) | Tony Yoka (Boxing) |
| Laura Flessel (Fencing) | |
| International Athlete Supporters | |
| Rafael Nadal (Tennis, Spain) | Esteban Gutiérrez (Formula E, Mexico) |
| Kevin Trapp (Football, Germany) | Oliver Turvey (Formula E, Great Britain) |
| Gustavo Kuerten (Tennis, Brazil) | Daniel Abt (Formula E, Germany) |
| Peter Sagan (Cycling, Slovakia) | Mike Conway (Formula E, Great Britain) |
| Thiago Motta (Football, Italy) | Adam Carroll (Formula E, Great Britain) |
| Giba (Volleyball, Brazil) | Sam Bird (Formula E, Great Britain) |
| Mikkel Hansen (Handball, Denmark) | Lucas Di Grassi (Formula E, Brazil) |
| Rai (Football, Brazil) | Jérôme d’Ambrosio (Formula E, Belgium) |
| Mariana Pajón (BMX, Colombia) | David Katoatau (Weightlifting, Kiribati) |
| Dan Carter (Rugby, New Zealand) | Steven Kukuna Kari (Weightlifting, Papua New Guinea) |
| Ilona Korstine (Basketball, Russia) | Taretiita Tabaroua (Weightlifting, Kiribati) |
| Roger Milla (Football, Cameroon) | Morea Baru (Weightlifting, Papua New Guinea_ |
| Cheick Cissé (Taekwondo, Ivory Coast) | Elson Edward Brechtefeld (Weightlifting, Nauru) |
| Sergio Parisse (Rugby, Italy) | Luisa Fatiaki Peters (Weightlifting, Cook Islands) |
| Sun Wenyan (Synchronised Swimming, China) | Thelma Mea Toua (Weightlifting, Papua New Guinea) |
| Venuste Niyongabo (Athletics, Burundi) | David Pasqualucci (Archery, Italy) |
| Elaine Thomson (Athletics, Jamaica) | Dan Olaru (Archery, Moldova) |
| Ruth Jebet (Athletics, Bahrain) | Yukiko Inui (Synchronised Swimming, Japan) |
| Nicola Spirig (Triathlon, Switzerland) | Svetlana Tripanina (Fencing, Russia) |
| Ana Maria Popescu (Fencing, Romania) | Maria Shurochkina (Synchronised Swimming, Russia) |
| Gordon Reid (Wheelchair Tennis, Great Britain) | Vlada Chigireva (Synchronised Swimming, Russia) |
| Wilson Kipketer (Athletics, Denmark) | Mengni Tang (Synchronised Swimming, China) |
| Marian Dragulescu (Gymnastics, Romania | Mengying Wang (Synchronised Swimming, China) |
| Tegla Loroupe (Athletics, Kenya) | Huiyan Di (Synchronised Swimming, China) |
| Gary Hunt (Diving, Great Britain) | Haiya Di (Synchronised Swimming, China) |
| Jacqueline Simoneau (Synchronised Swimming, Canada) | Jianing Wang (Synchronised Swimming, China) |
| Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Table Tennis, Germany) | Yijing Sun (Synchronised Swimming, China) |
| Gabriela Szabo (Athletics, Romania) | Jiahui ju (Synchronised Swimming, China) |
| Olga Brusnikina (Synchronised Swimming, Russia) | Xiuchen li (Synchronised Swimming, China) |
| Ona Carbonell (Synchronised Swimming, Spain) | Xinyl Qiu (Synchronised Swimming, China) |
| Gemma Mengual (Synchronised Swimming, Spain) | Jun Fan (Synchronised Swimming, China) |
| Dika Toua (Weightlifting, Papua New Guinea) | Yukiko Inui (Synchronised Swimming, Japan) |
| Eileen Cikamatana (Weightlifting, Fiji) | Mai Nakamura (Synchronised Swimming, Japan) |
| Stephen Roche (Cycling, Ireland) | Kanami Nakanami (Synchronised Swimming, Japan) |
| Steluța Luca (Handball, Romania | Sakiko Akutsu (Synchronised Swimming, Japan) |
| Tereza Marinova (Athletics, Bulgaria) | Juka Fukumura (Synchronised Swimming, Japan) |
| Peter Stoychev (Swimming, Bulgaria) | Minami Kono (Synchronised Swimming, Japan) |
| Anna Voloshyna (Synchronised Swimming, Ukraine) | Kano Omata (Synchronised Swimming, Japan) |
| Sébastien Buemi (Formula E, Switzerland) | Asuka Tasaki (Synchronised Swimming, Japan) |
| José Maria Lopez (Formula E, Argentina) | Kei Marumo (Synchronised Swimming, Japan) |
| Nick Heidfeld (Formula E, Germany) | Yuniko Osawa (Synchronised Swimming, Japan) |
| Felix Rosenqvist (Formula E, Sweden)) | Maiko Yamazaki (Synchronised Swimming, Japan) |
| Robin Frijns (Formula E, Netherlands) | Aiko Hayashi (Synchronised Swimming, Japan) |
| Nelsinho Piquet (Formula E, Brazil) | Claudia Holzner (Synchronised Swimming, Canada) |
| Mitch Evans (Formula E, New Zealand) | Gabriella Brisson (Synchronised Swimming, Canada) |
| Anastasia Gloushkov (Synchronised Swimming, Israel) | Gabrielle Boisvert (Synchronised Swimming, Canada) |
| Melissande Jaccard (Synchronised Swimming, Switzerland) | Rebecca Maule (Synchronised Swimming, Canada) |
| Miho Kurachi (Fencing, Japan) | Gwen McGwuire (Synchronised Swimming, Canada) |
| Rio Azuma (Fencing, Japan) | Samantha Nealon (Synchronised Swimming, Canada) |
| Shiho Nishioka (Fencing, Japan) | Marie Lou Morin (Synchronised Swimming, Canada) |
| Chihiro Mori (Fencing, Japan) | Andreanne Côté (Synchronised Swimming, Canada) |
| Komaki Kikuchi (Fencing, Japan) | Laurence Vézina (Synchronised Swimming, Canada) |
| Sera Azuma (Fencing, Japan) | Jannelle Ball (Synchronised Swimming, Canada) |
| Sumire Tsuji (Fencing, Japan) | Andrea Fuentes (Synchronised Swimming, Spain) |
| Gladyce Jaccard (Synchronised Swimming, Switzerland) |
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