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PARISAthletes are the heartbeat of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Their trials and triumphs inspire the world. It is therefore only natural that the creation of an Athletes’ Committee was among the very first decisions of the Paris 2024 Candidature team, itself led by the French sport movement.Consisting of 24 Olympians and Paralympians with equal gender representation, the Committee is co-chaired by Rio 2016 gold medallist and double Olympic champion, Teddy Riner, and Rio 2016 gold medallist and double Paralympic champion, Marie-Amélie Le Fur. In total, its members have participated in 54 Olympic and Paralympic Games and have won 43 Olympic and Paralympic medals.Putting their wealth of Games knowledge at the service of the candidature, Committee members meet regularly to bring ideas and first-hand athlete experiences to all areas of the project, including the development of the venue plan and the selection of the Olympic Village.Aligned with the candidature’s focus on innovation and engagement, Paris 2024 has also launched a mobile app which allows over 15,000 athletes across France to interact with the candidature and the Athletes’ Committee, making it easier than ever for them to provide their insights and suggestions. Paris 2024 is proud to be able to draw on such an invaluable pool of knowledgeable talent to guarantee an outstanding Games experience for the world that is imagined, designed and delivered by athletes.BUDAPESTThe Budapest 2024 Athletes’ Commission (BAC) comprises 24 members, and is chaired by Ágnes Kovács, 53-time national champion in multiple disciplines, Olympic gold medal winner and International Swimming Hall of Fame honoree. The BAC members represent 500 years of elite sporting participation, and are responsible for about 25 per cent of the 175 Hungarian Olympic gold medals. They are all Olympic or Paralympic athletes, many of whom are closely involved in sports, children’s and disability-awareness charities and community initiatives. Six members out of the 24 were in Rio de Janeiro for the Games, alongside colleagues from Budapest 2024 and the Hungarian Olympic and Paralympic Committees. Members of the BAC also participated in the IOC Observer Programme in Rio.The BAC is active in the communities of Budapest and members’ home towns, taking part in workshops, coaching, sports presentations and school events. They also proactively raise grassroots public support for sport at events such as the Budapest Airport Runway Run, Olympic Day Community Run and Sziget Festival. The sports represented on the BAC are swimming, gymnastics, canoe, fencing, water polo, figure skating, handball, football, shooting, athletics, judo and modern pentathlon. The BAC meets monthly to debate and approve master plan enhancements among other planning inputs, ensuring that Budapest 2024 provides the best possible environment for athletes to give the performances of their lives.* All texts and images submitted by the Candidate Cities to the IOC by 5 October 2016OLYMPIC REVIEW 27CANDIDATE CITIES 2024