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Olympic evaluators praise Los Angeles, but will LA get the bid?
IOC Evaluation Commission Chairman Patrick Baumann speaks during a wrap up news conference following his three day tour of venues proposed by LA2024 bidding committee for the Los Angeles 2024 Summer Olympic Games as Executive Director of the Olympic Games Christophe Dubi at the Staples Center on May 12, 2017 in Los Angeles.
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Patrick Baumann (C) and Christophe Dubi (R) of the International Olympic Committee react upon being given a surfboard by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Casey Wasserman (L) of LA 2024 before a press conference at Santa Monica Beach as the International Olympic Committee Evaluation Commission wrap up their visit to Los Angeles on May 11, 2017.
/ AFP PHOTO / FREDERIC J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
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IOC Evaluation Commission Chairman Patrick Baumann (C) takes a photograph of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and LA2024 committee members, IOC Evaluation Commission members, Olympic and paralympics athletes in front of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum after a venue tour May 11, 2017, in Los Angeles.
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IOC Evaluation Commission Chairman Patrick Baumann shoots basket as he and commission members are given a tour of Staples Center, a proposed LA2024 Olympic venue, by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman and rest of the bidding committee May 11, 2017, in Los Angeles.
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Olympic evaluators praise Los Angeles, but will LA get the bid?
A team of Olympic evaluators wrapped up their visit to Los Angeles on Friday afternoon. After crisscrossing the city to see firsthand where events would be held, they gave the city’s bid high marks, using words like "spectacular" and "mind-blowing" to describe the proposed venues.
"This visit has certainly confirmed our opinion that Los Angeles has developed an excellent proposal," said Patrick Baumann, chairman of the evaluation committee. He spoke to reporters from the floor of Staples Center, one of the proposed venues.
"There is no major risk that we can highlight right now," Baumann added.
The problem for Los Angeles: the evaluation commission is now flying to Paris to evaluate that city’s bid, which is also considered strong.
"We have two of the best cities you can dream of," said Baumann. "It’s a win-win situation."
It's a win-win situation for the International Olympic Committee — but not for whichever city loses out for 2024. However, the strength of the two bids is why the IOC is now considering a joint bid for the first time, awarding 2024 to one city — probably Paris — and 2028 to the other.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was initially cool to that idea, but said Friday he would consider a 2028 proposal.
"I’m a little unorthodox about this," Garcetti said. "I know Paris has at times said it’s ’24 or nothing. I really do believe in this movement, and if you can create winners instead of so many losers, that’s good for the movement."
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The IOC will make its final decision Sept. 13 in Lima, Peru.
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