Los Angeles (AFP) – Los Angeles has agreed terms with Olympic officials on a deal to host the 2028 Summer Games, city officials told AFP on Monday — clearing the way for Paris to host the Olympics in 2024.
Paris, Los Angeles’ only rival in bidding for 2024, would then host the Olympics on the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Paris Games.
The deal also will bring the Summer Olympics to Los Angeles for a third time, after the city staged the Games in 1984 and 1932.
Los Angeles bid committee officials did not immediately confirm any agreement had been reached, but an announcement from the International Olympic Committee was expected later Monday and LA 2024 scheduled a press conference for 5 p.m. (0000GMT) with mayor Eric Garcetti and bid chief Casey Wasserman “to make an announcement about the City’s bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games”.
The possibility that Los Angeles would abandon a 2024 bid and accept the 2028 Games instead has been growing since the IOC decided in July that it would award both the 2024 and 2028 Games in a vote in Lima in September — effectively ensuring that the two candidates will each host a Games.
Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti said last week that the city “would be stupid” not to agree to host in 2028.
But there were some hurdles to be overcome, with Los Angeles needing to make sure financial deals it had secured for 2024 would still be viable four years later.
Details of the agreement were not immediately available, and it was not clear if LA 2024 had been able to secure any additional funding or financial concessions to offset any concerns raised by the delay.
The United States last hosted the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996, while the Winter Games were held in Salt Lake City in 2002.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.