“It is an honor for any city to host the Olympic Games, and Los Angeles is uniquely prepared for this task,” said the city’s mayor Eric Garcetti as the California metropolis launched its bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games on Tuesday following a unanimous vote by the LA City Council in support of the city’s attempt to bring the Summer Games back to the United States. “With the unanimous support of our City Council, we are ready to serve and strengthen the Olympic Movement and build a new Olympic legacy.”
Joining Garcetti in making the announcement were USOC Chairman Larry Probst, USOC CEO Scott Blackmun, LA City Council President Herb Wesson, LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman and numerous Olympians and Paralympians. Legendary sportscaster Al Michaels served as the master of ceremonies.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Los Angeles as our U.S. bid city for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Scott Blackmun. “LA has the proven experience in hosting the Games, and knows how to deliver world-class events for athletes and an extraordinary experience for fans. Coupled with the city’s culture of creativity and innovation, we are confident LA can deliver an outstanding Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024. We are excited at the prospect of bringing a historic third- Summer Olympic Games to Los Angeles, the perfect stage for a world-class celebration. The City Council, together with the public, has reviewed the Games plan and believes it will leave a positive legacy for generations to come,” said City Council President Herb Wesson, with LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman adding:
“Angelenos are passionate about sports and the chance to host the greatest global sports event is an opportunity we do not want to shrink from. LA is a truly Olympic city. Olympism is deeply rooted in the culture here and it is part of our DNA. We live and breathe sport and this is reflected in the vast amount of sports infrastructure we already have. We are very fortunate to be in the position to have so many world-class venues available to us as it has allowed us to develop a sustainable plan that aligns with the city’s long term vision and the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020.”
Tuesday’s launch comes two weeks ahead of the 15 September deadline for cities to
be officially submitted to the IOC. As part of the IOC’s new invitation phase, Mayor Eric
Garcetti, LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman, United States Olympic Committee
Chairman Larry Probst and USOC CEO Scott Blackmun will travel to IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland to officially present the City of Los Angeles as the US bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The US delegation will arrive in Switzerland on Wednesday afternoon and visit IOC headquarters on Thursday morning.
This article was republished with permission from the original publisher, Sport Intern.