The United States could play host to the Olympic Games once again if the mayor of Los Angeles has his way, albeit four years later than he originally hoped.
Mayor Eric Garcetti has proposed to the International Olympic Committee to let rival Paris host the international competition in 2024 and in exchange get 2028 locked down without having to draw up plans from scratch a few years from now.
Mr. Garcetti confirmed the proposal at a Wednesday new conference, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“As we’ve talked to the Olympics they’ve asked us to think about — both Paris and us — what would it take for us to consider one of us going first and the other going second,” Mr. Garcetti said during the presser, THR reported. “My dream is not so much just to bring the Olympics here, but is to bring youth sports for free to every zip code.”
Traditionally host cities for the Olympic games are selected seven years in advance of the competition. But this go-around saw three finalists for the 2024 bid — Budapest, Hamburg and Rome — drop out in the face of mounting opposition in their respective countries over the costs borne by taxpayers and the logistical headaches the games would present for residents.
Hamburg’s withdrawal actually came on the heels of a voter referendum in November 2015 where nearly 52 percent of voters expressed their disapproval of making an Olympic bid.
The L.A. bid to host the games itself only came to fruition after Boston backed out in 2015 and the U.S. Olympic Committee asked Los Angeles to fill in.
Los Angeles has previously hosted the summer games in 1932 and 1984. Salt Lake City was the last U.S. host city for an Olympics with the 2002 winter games. Atlanta played host to the summer games in 1996.
The IOC should make its 2024 hosting call, and possibly award the 2028 bid as well, at its September meeting in Lima, Peru.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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