Speaking here after Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and her team had made their first official presentation to the IOC regarding the bid - they were the last to do so after previous meetings involving Los Angeles, Budapest and Rome - Bach expressed satisfaction with numerous aspects of a candidature which he said “has Olympic Agenda 2020 at its heart.”

Asked by insidethegames to mention the aspects of the presentation which had most resonated with him, Bach responded: “You can see that this approach really serves as a catalyst for the sustainable development of Paris and the regions.

“There are different projects around there as the Mayor has mentioned -  the sport programme for schools, the cleaning of the River Seine - and you have many other projects where the candidature really serves as a catalyst.

“Plus the fact that the candidature is proposing Olympic sites which are 90 per cent or more than 90 per cent already in place. 

"This is another great example for Olympic Agenda 2020 and sustainable development.

“And we experience here a candidature which is showing the great unity of Paris and the French people, even among the politicians.  

"All the politicians are unified with the worlds of sport and the economy.

"So it is a really unified project in which the athletes - and this is really important for the IOC - are playing a major role, as you can see here in the presence of three prominent Olympians.”

On the journey down to Lausanne - three and a half hours by TGV from the Gare de Lyon, Hidalgo described the key points she and her team wanted to make to the President.

“The first point we want to make is that Paris 2024 is fully engaged with all its athletes to ensure these will be a Games that has them at its centre,” she told insidethegames.

“That is very important.

“The second point is to emphasise the huge level of commitment towards the bid at all levels in Paris, and across the country. 

"We are engaged in a consultation exercise with our population which is unique in its depth and scope.

“Thirdly we will speak of the important place sport has in French society, and of the many places for sport which we already have.”

Former World Rugby President Bernard Lapasset, who co-chairs the bid with triple Olympic canoeing champion Tony Estanguet, commented: “We are the last of the bidders for the 2024 Games to visit the President.

“Is it an advantage to be last? Well, the most important is to think you are the best!

“We will be letting the President know that we share the same vision for the Games, and that we are powerful in our hearts to deliver an emotional moment in the history of the Olympics. 

"But we also want to emphasise the lasting value of our bid to the city, to the country, and to the Games themselves.

“Last week we stood in the very room in the Sorbonne where Pierre de Coubertin began the modern Olympic Movement. 

"France has played its part in creating the Games, and we want to be part of the continuing story of Olympism - that is a very strong message.

“But the big point is that we share in the same vision that the President has for the future of the Games.”

Estanguet commented: “This is the first time we have officially gone to the International Olympic Committee to speak about our bid at the invitation of the President.

“We will have the opportunity to share our ideas with the President, and we can gather ideas from him that we will be able to incorporate into our Bid Book. 

"We can continue with that process all the way through until the final version is sent to the IOC in February.”