{"id":461690,"date":"2025-09-30T00:04:24","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T00:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/461690\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T00:04:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T00:04:24","slug":"panorama-national-auditors-say-2024-games-cost-france-e10-billion-at-most-court-of-arbitration-chair-coates-retires-u-s-s-lenard-takes-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/461690\/","title":{"rendered":"PANORAMA: National auditors say 2024 Games cost France \u20ac10 billion at most; Court of Arbitration chair Coates retires; U.S.\u2019s Lenard takes over"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2605 The Sports Examiner<\/strong>: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.\u2605<\/p>\n

\u2605 To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here<\/a>!<\/strong> \u2605<\/p>\n

\u2261 THE 5-RING CIRCUS \u2261<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25cf Olympic Games 2024: Paris \u25cf<\/strong> The French Court of Auditors reported<\/strong><\/a> that the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games cost the national government \u20ac3.02 billion on staging and \u20ac3.63 on infrastructure costs for a total of \u20ac6.65 billion or about $7.80 billion U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe overall result is a success but with lessons to be learned,\u201d adding that the total does not include \u20ac2.0 billion on security costs \u2013 \u20ac1.7 billion for the Games and \u20ac300 million for longer-term projects \u2013 and another \u20ac1.35 billion for \u201cGames-related transport spending.\u201d That\u2019s \u20ac10 billion (~$11.73 billion U.S.) all in, according to the report.<\/p>\n

Government receipts from taxes related to the Games totaled \u20ac293.6 million, but does not include future receipts from indirect and induced spending.<\/p>\n

The report noted that the government construction agency Solideo delivered its 70 projects on time and within the \u20ac1.68 billion budget allocated.<\/p>\n

In terms of overall impact on economic growth, the effect of the Games was \u201cmodest,\u201d and \u201cestimated, when indirect effects are taken into account, at + 0.07 points of GDP.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Paris 2024 organizing committee, now closed, criticized a similar report<\/strong><\/a> in June, noting significant amounts for long-term projects were attached by the auditors to the Games.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles \u25cf<\/strong> The LA28 organizers announced another Official Supporter-level (third tier) commercial partner in Massachusetts-based Highland Electric Fleets<\/strong><\/a>, to be the Official Electric School Bus Provider:<\/p>\n

\u25cf \u201cNorth America\u2019s leading provider of Electrification-as-a-Service for school bus fleets, Highland Electric Fleets, will partner with LA28 to repurpose electric school buses from local districts to help transport the network of accredited stakeholders essential to the delivery of the LA28 Games.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u25cf \u201cHighland will oversee the operation of its school bus fleet, coordinating daily logistics and charging, managing depot activity, and providing on-site technical support to keep services running smoothly throughout the event. This hands-on role will keep buses ready for a demanding schedule and support seamless service across venues.\u201d<\/p>\n

This 500-bus program will be used to support LA28\u2019s transportation requirements for athletes, officials, news media and other Olympic and Paralympic stakeholders. It will not be part of the spectator or workforce transportation project, undertaken by the L.A. Metropolitan Transportation Authority.<\/p>\n

School buses \u2013 without electrification \u2013 were widely used for athlete, competition official and media transit for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, using 838 school buses in all.<\/p>\n

\u25cf International Olympic Committee \u25cf<\/strong> IOC chief Kirsty Coventry<\/strong> (ZIM) attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week and gave interesting remarks<\/strong><\/a> at a U.N. forum on non-communicable diseases and mental health, underlining sport as a cost-effective solution for many. She explained that she knows this from personal experience:<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a young age, I was diagnosed with asthma and my parents did not want to put me on to the number of drugs that had been recommended. We went to another doctor who suggested swimming.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it worked. It taught me how to control my breathing. It taught me how to grow my lung capacity. And I never had to go on the level of dosage that was previously recommended when I was two years old. So sport works.\u201d<\/p>\n

She went on to win seven Olympic medals in 2004 and 2008, including two golds in the women\u2019s 200 m Backstroke.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Court of Arbitration for Sport \u25cf<\/strong> Australian attorney and administrator John Coates<\/strong>, 75, a leading figure in the development of the Court of Arbitration for Sport system, has stepped down<\/strong><\/a> as the President of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) and the Court itself, \u201cwith immediate effect for health reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coates has been receiving treatment for cancer, and after serving on the ICAS board since its formation in 1994 and as President from 2010 for four terms (re-elected in 2015-19-23), is no longer able to travel. So now:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn accordance with ICAS Statutes (Article S6), Mr Michael Lenard<\/strong>, ICAS senior Vice-President, shall exercise the functions and responsibilities of the President until an election. The next presidential election is scheduled for May 2027, unless ICAS decides to hold one earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lenard, who was a U.S. Olympian in Team Handball in 1984, has also been with ICAS since 1994 and has been the ICAS Vice President since 2010.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Athletics \u25cf<\/strong> Another talented Kenyan marathoner has been banned: Cornelius Kibet<\/strong><\/a>, who ran 2:04:54 for second at the Barcelona Marathon on 16 March, for five years for the presence of \u201cErythropoietin (\u2018EPO\u2019) and methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta (\u2018CERA\u2019)\u201d from an out-of-competition test on 29 July 2025.<\/p>\n

Kibet took both, not knowing they were prohibited, and acknowledged this in interviews with the AIU. Because he took multiple substances, he was hit with \u201caggravated circumstances\u201d and a six-year ban, reduced by one year for his admission of the violations.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Biathlon \u25cf<\/strong> US Biathlon unveiled a new logo<\/strong><\/a>, designed in conjunction with Colorado-based deign and branding agency Walden Hyde. It incorporates the key elements of the sport, including red skis and a silhouette of a .22-caliber rifle:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25cf Canoe-Kayak \u25cf<\/strong> At the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Penrith (AUS), Spain\u2019s David Llorente<\/strong> scored an upset win in the men\u2019s Kayak Cross final in 55.21, ahead of Paris silver medalist Joe Clarke<\/strong> (GBR: 56.33), Czech Jakub Krejci<\/strong> was third in 56.89.<\/p>\n

Swiss Alena Marx<\/strong>, the 2024 European champ, won the women\u2019s Kayak Cross individual title in 62.09, ahead of Ajda Novak<\/strong> (SLO: 63.07) and Brazil\u2019s 2018 World Champion Ana Satila<\/strong> (63.23). Olympic champ Noemie Fox<\/strong> (AUS) was fifth in 63.35; Evy Leibfarth<\/strong>, the 2021 Worlds bronze winner in this event, was the top American, in 11th (64.23).<\/p>\n

\u25cf Football \u25cf<\/strong> The Israeli news site Ynet reported<\/strong><\/a> that the UEFA Executive Committee will not hold a meeting this week on Israel\u2019s continued place in European competition, meaning Israeli teams will continue to play.<\/p>\n

A report in The Times (London) earlier indicated that a vote would be taken to exclude Israel this week.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Rowing \u25cf<\/strong> The World Rowing Congress unanimously re-elected<\/strong><\/a> Jean-Christophe Rolland<\/strong> (FRA) for a fourth terms as President on Monday, in Shanghai (CHN). He ran unopposed and received all 115 votes.<\/p>\n

The Congress agreed to stage the 2028 World Rowing senior, U-23 and U-19 championships in Sarasota, Florida, to take place a few weeks after the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Sarasota previously hosted the Worlds in 2017.<\/p>\n

\u00b6<\/p>\n

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For our updated, 699-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here<\/strong><\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u2605 The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":461691,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5309],"tags":[154550,154551,154552,154553,154554,2000,299,36,154555,154556,154557,837,154558,154559,154560,154561,154562,92434,6536,137505,154563,154564,154565],"class_list":{"0":"post-461690","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-france","8":"tag-alena-marx","9":"tag-athletics-integrity-unit","10":"tag-cornelius-kibet","11":"tag-court-of-arbitration-for-sport","12":"tag-david-llorente","13":"tag-eu","14":"tag-europe","15":"tag-france","16":"tag-french-court-of-auditors","17":"tag-highland-electric-fleets","18":"tag-icf-canoe-slalom-world-championships","19":"tag-israel","20":"tag-jean-christophe-rolland","21":"tag-john-coates","22":"tag-kirsty-coventry","23":"tag-la28","24":"tag-michael-lenard","25":"tag-paris-2024","26":"tag-uefa","27":"tag-united-nations-general-assembly","28":"tag-us-biathlon","29":"tag-walden-hyde","30":"tag-world-rowing"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=461690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461690\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/461691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=461690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=461690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=461690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}