Hollande guarantees athletes' security if Paris hosts 2024 Olympic Games

French President François Hollande on Sunday continued the charm offensive on Olympic Games organisers by highlighting the successful staging of the 2016 European football championships.

Reuters/Kamil Zihnioglu

Hollande rolled out the red carpet for Thomas Bach during the second day of the  International Olympic Committee president's visit to Paris.

The French capital is competing with Budapest and Los Angeles to host the 2024 Olympic Games.

“France will be able to ensure the security of the athletes and of the Games,” said Hollande after he and Bach had lunched at the Elysée Palace in Paris.

“Security is a priority,” Hollande added. “I don’t know what the world will be like in 2024 but it is likely to be as dangerous as it is now. No country or capital city will be able to feel that it is protected or immune."

The attacks that have hit France over the last year have led to France adopting "a series of measures that can’t be matched elsewhere”, the president said.

To read our coverage of November's Paris attacks click here

During the first day of his visit Bach mingled with athletes at the Institute of Sport and Performance in Paris.

More than 200 men and women attend the elite institute and many are expected to be competitors at the 2024 Olympics.

"I love being with athletes,” said Bach, a gold medallist at the 1976 in the Germany fencing team. “It is for them that we work every day. It is essential to discuss with them to see how the Olympic Games can be improved."

The host city for the 2024 Olympic Games is scheduled to be announced at the 130th IOC session in Peru next September.