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PARIS

IOC chief welcomes Paris bid for 2024 Olympics

International Olympic Committee (IOC) head Thomas Bach on Thursday said that Paris would be an "exemplary" host of the 2024 Olympics after meeting French President François Hollande in Lausanne.

IOC chief welcomes Paris bid for 2024 Olympics
Hollande and Bach shake hands in Lausanne. Photo: Ian Jones/IOC

"This candidacy is exemplary and, if you continue like this, you have all the assets and you can move forward with confidence," Bach said in front of the press, while Hollande declared that France was "ready to rally behind it".
   
"We are delighted to see that France is rallying behind a Paris bid for the Olympics and we are sure it will be a very strong bid," added Bach.
   
"France has a lot to offer the Olympic movement and has already offered a lot thanks to Pierre de Coubertin," added Bach in reference to the French founder of the IOC, who moved its headquarters to Lausanne in 1915.
   
"What we learnt today is that the Paris bid will put the emphasis on its heritage (of existing facilities), which is the spirit of the 2020 agenda," added Bach, with a nod to a series of reforms adopted in December in a bid to reduce the cost of the Games.
   
President Hollande said France "would be ready to get behind a bid" and called it a "great opportunity".
   
"We know that there is still some way to go, procedures, and one of the reasons for this meeting was to find out exactly what the rules are, because there are rules in every competition," added Hollande, whose visit to Lausanne came at the end of a two-day state visit to Switzerland.

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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