IOC looking for hospitality gold at Paris Games

Imagine watching swimming at the Paris Olympics with Michael Phelps or talking hoops with a member of the original Dream Team or cheering at athletics with Usain Bolt.

These opportunities could be on the Paris Games menu, for a princely price, next year as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and hospitality partner On Location roll out a VIP version of faster, higher, stronger.

Following a playbook developed for the Super Bowl, On Location will offer gold medal fan engagement with faster access, higher prices and a stronger connection to the action.

From lavish hospitality suites at almost every event (where you can quaff champagne while everyone else in the arena will be limited to water and soft drinks) to guaranteed reservations at some of Paris's finest restaurants, the IOC will modernise the Olympic fan experience with all the bells and whistles and A-list perks now expected at the world's biggest events.

"The Olympics is a two week event but no one ever thought of it as an experience like this," Will Whiston, On Location executive vice president Olympics & Paralympics, told Reuters. "The whole Olympic experience is going to be taken to another level.

"It's still the Games first and foremost but it is elevating the experience."

Retired-Olympic greats will be prominent at On Location venues and while the line-up of athlete ambassadors has not been finalised, Whiston offered a "stay tuned" hinting at big names.

Near the Eiffel Tower, On Location will set up hospitality base at the Palais de Tokyo - a building that is normally home to modern and contemporary art exhibits that will be transformed into Clubhouse 24.

Once off limits to everyone but American athletes, officials and sponsors, On Location guests will also have