1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles ; Credit: Sussman/Prejza Archive
Members of the U.S. Olympic Committee converge on Denver International Airport today to continue their discussion about what city will be chosen as its bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and Washington D.C. are the four finalists competing for the bid. A decision is expected by this afternoon with the announcement coming on Friday in the chosen city. The USOC will then have until early 2016 to submit an application for the chosen city to host the Games, and the IOC would make its decision in the summer of 2017. Many are speculating that the U.S. will be the frontrunner country for the Olympics It has been nearly 20 years since the last Summer Olympics were held in the States (Atlanta in 1996). Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Games in 2002.
California, then, stands a 50-50 chance of being chosen to possibly host another Olympic games. Los Angeles hosted the 1932 and 1984 Summer Games and already has most of the infrastructure and facilities that would be needed to host the Games. The Coliseum would likely be refurbished to host track and field events, soccer would be played at the Rose Bowl, and Dodger Stadium would host baseball if the sports returns to the Olympics as expected. San Francisco is also seen as a frontrunner because of the city’s appeal across the globe and because it has never hosted the Olympics before. San Francisco’s 2024 bid committee has said that the venues would be spread through the Bay Area and a temporary stadium would be built on the waterfront.
L.A.’s biggest challenge in securing the bid is not being seen as old hat because it has already hosted the Games twice. So, how likely do you think it is that the USOC chooses a California city? What are the economic and cultural impacts that hosting the Olympics would have on Los Angeles? What specific advantages does L.A. bring to the table as a host city? What about San Francisco?
Guest:
Barry A. Sanders, chairman of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games