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The International Olympic Committee is on the verge of an unprecedented decision to select the host city for the 2024 and 2028 Summer Games at the same time—rather than following normal protocol of deciding '24 this year, and restarting the bid process for '28 afterward.
Breaking: Unanimous approval for IOC proposal to seek a tripartite agreement with Los Angeles and Paris over 2024 + 2028 #Olympics
— Sydney Bauer (@SydneyBauer91) July 11, 2017
"We have two excellent candidates from two major Olympic countries. This is a position you like to be in," IOC President Thomas Bach said in March regarding 2024's two finalist cities, Paris and Los Angeles, notes the BBC. "It will be up to the working group how to best explore, how to best exploit, the positive situation. We should not miss the opportunity to explore this opportunity."
On Tuesday, the IOC met in Lausanne, Switzerland, as Paris and Los Angeles presented their official bids for the 2024 games.
"[It] truly is a tale of two great Olympic cities," said Patrick Baumann, chair of the IOC's 2024 Evaluation Commission, reports France 24. "The two projects are different in nature, but each city presents a proposal which is genuinely authentic and reflects the best of what each has to offer."
Both Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo were at the meeting to lobby for their city's bid. However, while French president Emmanuel Macron joined his country's delegation, U.S. president Donald Trump was absent from the LA2024 delegation.
According to the Washington Post, President Trump hosted IOC president Bach at the White House last month, and tweeted Tuesday morning in support of the U.S.'s bid.
Working hard to get the Olympics for the United States (L.A.). Stay tuned!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 11, 2017
“L.A. is ready to throw these [games] in two months if we were asked, or two decades if it came to that,” Garcetti said during a news conference, reports the Post. “L.A. is ready because we have the infrastructure, the love and the vision to make sure it’s something that serves this movement and something that serves our city.”
“We don’t believe this decision is only about us or Paris or the year 2024,” Casey Wasserman, chair of LA 2024, added at a news conference. “This decision is about the future direction of the Olympic movement. …Our objective is to best serve the IOC’s needs, not only ours. That’s why we’ve never given an ultimatum about 2024. We don’t believe in ultimatums. We believe in partnership.”
LA2024 then released a statement about the IOC's dual allocation decision.
#LA2024's statement on @Olympics Extraordinary Session decision pic.twitter.com/SizZtZXJgV
— LA28 (@LA28) July 11, 2017
ESPN adds that Paris has taken a "harder line" approach to its 2024 bid, offering no willingness to wait until 2028. Furthermore, should an agreement be reached in Lausanne about the '24-'28 dual award, the deal (which may include a collaboration outline between the organizing committees) will need to be ratified at the IOC's final meeting about the 2024 games in Lima, Peru, on September 13.
Both L.A. and Paris have hosted the summer Olympic games twice in the past.
