This will be a key legacy of the bid, organisers hope, and will help formulate a better understanding of Roman sporting prowess. 

Over the course of six months, a team of young engineers and architects hired by Rome 2024 and the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) collected nearly 10,000 photos documenting the state of each facility.

They studied 2,200 sites, of which more than 1,000 were "public institutions" such as schools.

Results will soon be made available online, and held on an app dedicated to sports in the city featuring a collective map, detailed descriptions and geolocation data for each facility.

Complete results of this census are expected to be presented by officials including Rome 2024 President Luca di Montezemolo and CONI counterpart Giovanni Malagò on September 27.

This comes as Rome officials struggle to keep their bid alive among opposition from city authorities, with a decision due to be made later this month at around the same time as the census is unveiled.

"Knowing which facilities are available and what condition they are in, particularly in the city’s suburbs, will be key to developing future sports infrastructure and services in Rome," a statement explained. 

The four primary objectives of the census included: first, learn which facilities are present and how they can be further developed, creating an online database of all public, private and school-run facilities.

"Second, select sites, including those in the suburbs, that could be renovated and used as training facilities, should Rome win the bid to host the Olympics and Paralympics.

"Third, develop a tool that will be useful for future improvements and aims at optimising the services available to citizens and increasing the focus on sports in our schools.

"And lastly, contribute to developing a safer, more accessible, inclusive and sustainable city by promoting physical fitness, integration and a healthy lifestyle."

This study, and the permanent monitoring and updating that will go with it, will be part of the city's heritage as a tool for further planning, it is hoped, in a legacy independent of Rome's candidacy.

The survival of this candidacy depends on new city Mayor Virginia Raggi, however.

Raggi, elected in June, has repeatedly claimed the bid is an unnecessary extravagance at a time of economic problems elsewhere, and, despite the efforts of bid officials, her views are thought to remain unchanged.

A meeting is due to take place at a yet-to-be-determined point after the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, which close on September 18.

It therefore appears possible that the bid could have been abandoned by the time the census results are revealed.

Rome is bidding against Budapest, Los Angeles and Paris ahead of a vote during the IOC Session in Lima on September 13.