The dream of bringing the 2024 Summer Olympics to Boston is dead. But there’s still a chance the Games could be held in the United States.
Los Angeles is preparing an approximately $4 billion bid and is close to reaching a deal with the U.S. Olympic Committee to become the country’s new candidate for the 2024 Olympics, officials told the Los Angeles Times on Monday. L.A.’s return into the running comes two weeks after the USOC officially pulled its support for Boston due to taxpayer concerns and lack of public support.
There also are concerns in L.A. about the price tag, which also could include a $400 million contingency fund. Yet L.A. has hosted the Olympics twice before — in 1932 and 1984 — and could save money by hosting events at venues still in place from the 1984 Games.
Los Angeles also has the benefit of what appears to be strong public support. The 1984 Olympics were by all accounts a success, and Mayor Eric Garcetti believes bringing the Games back could be another win for all parties.
“I think it is right for this city. I think it’s who we are,” Garcetti told the Times. “I think we benefit from it economically, socially.”
The USOC has until Sept. 15 to submit its candidate for the 2024 Olympics to the International Olympic Committee. If selected, L.A. would join Paris, Rome, Hamburg and possibly Budapest as cities officially in the running.
Thumbnail photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
