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It's official: Los Angeles is now in the running to host the 2024 Olympics.Our competition? Budapest, Hamburg, Paris and Rome. Pfft, what do those cities have to offer anyway?
"We are welcoming five outstanding and highly qualified candidate cities," said International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. Looks like somebody was won over by that spiffy video.
According to the AP, the selection of the host for the 2024 Summer Games will be the first to utilize Bach's Olympic Agenda 2020, which looks to cut down the cost of hosting the games by using existing and temporary infrastructure. "We can really look at a very diverse and creative field," said Bach. "Sustainability and legacy are the cornerstones of each candidature."
In the case of Los Angeles' bid, one of the major selling points was numerous existing venues that could be used in the games, including the L.A. Coliseum, Stubhub Center, Staples Center and Walt Disney Concert Hall (seriously). Several experts have cited this as a reason why Los Angeles' 1984 Summer Olympics was considered so successful.
Bach also announced that the IOC would also be providing $1.7 billion in cash and services to the hosting committee of the chosen city.
The committee will make their final decision in Lima, Peru in September 2017. Toronto and Baku, Azerbaijan both dropped out of the running, deciding not to submit their bids by the deadline.