US turn to Los Angeles in hope of keeping 2024 Olympic bid alive

Sebastian Coe leads GB team-mates Steve Cram and Steve Ovett past the bell during the 1500m final at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 – could the city host the Games for a third time in 2024? Photograph: Steve Powell/Allsport

THE United States Olympic Committee has turned its attention to Los Angeles as it seeks to stay in the race to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

After Boston withdrew its bid late last month through a lack of public support, Los Angeles had emerged as the favourite to become America’s candidate city and the USOC has now confirmed talks are under way.

“We continue to think that a US bid for the 2024 Games can be successful,” the USOC chairman, Larry Probst, said. “The board authorised the chief executive, Scott Blackmun, to work with Los Angeles to explore the viability of a potential bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“We hope to finalise terms that benefit both the city of Los Angeles and the Olympic movement in the United States so that we can submit a world-class bid to the IOC by its 15 September deadline.”

Los Angeles hosted the Olympics in 1932 and 1984, but rather than being an impediment, the Californian city’s supporters say that only helps as it means a number of key facilities – not least the Coliseum stadium – are already in place and could be brought up to scratch relatively cheaply.

Boston’s bid suffered from low levels of public support – polls showed less than 40% of the population backed a bid while the public authorities were hesitating about underwriting the costs.

The United States has a poor recent record of bidding with New York and Chicago failing badly in moves for the 2012 and 2016 Games respectively. guardian.co.uk