IOC Votes To Award LA Either 2024 Or 2028 Olympic Games
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) – The International Olympic Committee unanimously approved a proposal Tuesday to award both the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics simultaneously in September to Los Angeles and Paris after hearing a delegation from L.A. argue that it stands the best chance of taking the Olympics movement into the future.
Los Angeles and Paris are the only two cities vying for the '24 Games and both made formal presentations to the IOC Tuesday.
The vote all but officially secures the '28 Games for L.A. because the city's delegation has been receptive to the idea while the Paris organizers have insisted on '24 because they said the planned Olympic village will not be available in '28.
The L.A. delegation in Switzerland includes Garcetti, LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman, CEO Gene Sykes and Vice Chairs Janet Evans and Candace Cable, among others. The group Tuesday morning gave the IOC a 45-minute presentation on the city's bid, including a 30-minute Q&A session.
By utilizing existing venues like the L.A. Memorial Coliseum and ones already planned by private investors, LA 2024 will be presenting a balanced $5.3 billion budget for the Games.
IOC President Thomas Bach echoed a recent report by the IOC's Evaluation Commission which concluded that L.A. and Paris' bids are in line with reforms the committee has been striving for over the last several years.
The Olympic Agenda 2020, which was approved in 2014, is aimed at fighting corruption while improving transparency and good governance.
Garcetti, one of several L.A. delegation members who spoke Tuesday, sought to reinforce the point as he closed the city's presentation..
"First, we're a young city, full of fresh, new ideas," the mayor said. "Second, we're not focused on the last 100 years, we are focused on the next 100. The question every candidate city must answer is: 'What do we leave behind after the games are over -- not only for our city, but for the movement?'
LATEST COVERAGE: L.A.'s bid for the Olympic Games
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, tweeted Tuesday that he's "working hard" to bring the Summer Olympics to Los Angeles.
Trump met in the Oval Office last month with Bach and "pledged his full support" for the Los Angeles bid, as the White House put it.
Also in the L.A. delegation was four-time Olympian and Angelina Allyson Felix, who stressed the United States is a fine choice as an Olympic Games venue despite a turbulent history.
"Look at me. My heritage is African. And my ancestors' path to my county was one of bondage, not one of freedom," she said.
"But out of that painful past, our nation grew it adapted, and it changed for the better -- and it will again. I believe that with all my heart or I would not be here today supporting our bid."
The selection of the host city for '24 and '28 will take place in Lima, Peru in September. This will be the third time Los Angeles will have hosted the Olympics after previously hosting in 1932 and 1984.
In response to the vote, LA 2024 released a statement that read:
"This is a proud day for Los Angeles and for the Olympic and Paralympic Movements in America.
"We're thrilled with the IOC's decision today, which is a major step forward in making LA's Olympic dream a reality.
"Today, two of the world's greatest cities, with outstanding but different proposals, stand ready to serve and advance the Olympic and Paralympic movements and their values. We look forward to working with the IOC and Paris in the weeks ahead to turn this golden opportunity into a golden future together."
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