Paris 2024 Games bid decision by June

Paris Major Anne Hidalgo will make a decision on whether the city will bid for the 2024 Olympics by June, her deputy Jean-Francois Martins said Friday.
"June is the deadline," said Martins, who indicated that a decision could even be reached earlier.
A report on "the opportunity" that a bid would provide for Paris will be presented to the city's Socialist major next Thursday.
"The day after the submission of this report, phase 2 will being which will end in June," explained Martins.
Phase 2 will "measure whether the project which is supported by the sports world can unite Parisians, and the French", he said.
The consultation process also includes a possible referendum of the population in the French capital.
Hidalgo has been extremely reticent to put in a bid, but following President Francois Hollande's comments supporting a bid last November, sources close to the major believe she could be convinced.
"It's still not completely decided but if the report presented is convincing, which we hope, and with guarantees of good governance surrounding the bid, we'll go with it," a source close to Hidalgo said.
If Paris wins 2024, it would be exactly 100 years after it last staged the summer Games.
But Paris was hurt by its defeat to London in the race for the 2012 Olympics.
There is already a long list of potential candidates for the 2024 Games readying their bids ahead of a September 15, 2015 deadline announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the weekend. A final decision will be taken in mid-2017.
In Europe, Berlin and Hamburg in Germany and the Italian capital Rome are also studying bids while the American city of  Boston is also a candidate.
The United States last held the Summer Games in Atlanta in 1996.
Durban in South Africa could press to become the first African host of the Games. Istanbul is also considering a new bid.
Cities must make applications by September 15 and then have until January 8, 2016 to place guarantees. A final list of candidate cities will be chosen by the IOC in May 2016 leaving about 14 months campaigning before a final vote.
Source: AFP