French Olympic delegation celebrates 2024 Games victory

Published Sep. 15, 2017 12:04 p.m. ET

PARIS (AP) Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo waved a flag Friday and her plane was sprayed by a celebratory water cannon as the French Olympic delegation was welcomed back in Paris after securing the 2024 Olympic Games.

Hidalgo noted the seriousness of the undertaking for Paris, which has been targeted by extremist attacks. She said she trusts ''our police and security forces to help us make these games a celebration.''

The date, 2024, is significant date for Paris as it marks 100 years since the city last held an Olympics in 1924.

The victory wasn't a surprise. Paris and Los Angeles had worked out a deal in advance with the International Olympic Committee for Paris to get the 2024 Summer Games and Los Angeles the 2028 games.

In a ceremony Friday at the presidential palace in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said ''these games must make France a true sports nation.''

Macron's predecessors, Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, also attended the reception, along with several dozen former and current champions. All gathered in the presidential Elysee Palace reception hall in a joyful atmosphere.

''We have an enormous amount of work to do to be able to organize and fully win, altogether, these 2024 Games,'' Macron added.