Learning from the past but looking to a sustainable future with some brand new ideas – that's how the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will stand out, the man in charge of organizing it tells CGTN.  

The one-year countdown to the Games begins on July 26, and Organizing Committee President Tony Estanguet can't wait for what promises to be a fascinating opening ceremony with a twist. 

"We will welcome athletes from all over the world on boats," Estanguet tells CGTN. "It will be the first time that the opening ceremony will take place in the city – on the Seine. So we are thrilled to welcome the world next year. We are ready."

Hosting the Olympic Games is a notorious challenge for any city in terms of expense and climate impact, but Estanguet says sustainability is at the heart of the operation.  

"We will use a place that already exists which allows us to demonstrate that the Games can be sustainable whilst also being spectacular," he says. "We will cut the carbon footprint in half." 

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A great example of this is the Olympic torch, which will arrive in Marseille by boat in order to exemplify sustainability before being relayed across the country.

However, it's not all change. Estanguet – himself a three-time gold medalist – has learnt from watching the organization of the 2008 Beijing Games. 

"It is an incredible memory, this opening ceremony of Beijing 2008, when I was flag-bearer with the entire French delegation. It is one of the greatest memories of my sporting career," he recalls. 

And by the time Beijing hosted the Winter Olympics in 2022, Estanguet was a particularly interested observer – knowing that Paris was to host in 2024.

"China successfully organized the 2008 and 2022 Games, so for us it was inspiring to see their success."

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