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SPORTS Tuesday 1 augusT 2017

2028 Games

Continued from Page 17
The Los Angeles City Coun- wait, LA will receive a finan-
cil and U.S. Olympic Com- cial sweetener.
mittee board of directors Under the terms of the deal,
will consider the agreement the IOC will advance funds
for approval in August. If to the Los Angeles organiz-
approved, the IOC, LA and ing committee to recognize
Paris may enter a three- the extended planning pe-
part agreement, clearing riod and to increase youth
the way for the IOC to si- sports programs leading
multaneously award the up to the Games. The IOC
2024 Games to Paris, and contribution could exceed
the 2028 Games to LA. The $2 billion, according to LA
IOC vote is scheduled for officials. That figure takes
September, in Lima, Peru. into account the estimated
In a statement, the Paris value of existing sponsor
bid committee welcomed agreements that would be
the announcement in Los renewed, as well as poten-
Angeles but stopped short tial new marketing deals.
of confirming the obvious, The delay to 2028 opens
that Paris is in line for the a host of questions for Los This July 11, 2017 file photo shows banners of Los Angeles 2024 candidacy, Paris 2024 candidacy
2024 Games. Angeles, which is looking at and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), during the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) Extraordinary Session, at the SwissTech Convention Centre, in Lausanne, Switzerland.
“Paris 2024 is proud to be the prospect of retooling its Associated Press
working together with the multibillion-dollar plans for
IOC and our friends in Los more than a decade into posed the unwillingness of 2014 Sochi Games, the first December of making revi-
Angeles to reach a posi- the future. It would face cities to bear the financial withdrawal came from his sions to the bidding process
tive solution for both cities, challenges from maintain- burden of hosting an event homeland of Germany. to prevent it producing
the Games and the whole ing public interest to re- that has become synony- The lack of political unity “too many losers,” build-
Olympic Movement for casting deals for stadiums, mous with cost overruns. for a bid in Hamburg was ing support that led to LA
2024 and 2028,” committee arenas and housing that LA was not even the first mirrored in Rome and Bu- and Paris being able to fig-
co-chair Tony Estanguet have been in the works for American entrant in the dapest as support for bids ure out themselves how to
said. months and even years. contest. Boston withdrew waned among local au- share the 2024 and 2028
In embracing what LA and Paris were the last two years ago as public thorities and the popula- Games.
amounted to the second- two bids remaining after a support for its bid collapsed tion. It was clear they did The dual award of the
place prize and an 11-year tumultuous process that ex- over concerns about use not want to be saddled games relieves the IOC of
of taxpayer cash. The U.S. with skyrocketing bills for having to test the global
bid switched from the east hosting the Olympics with- interest in hosting the Sum-
to the West Coast as LA en- out reaping many of the mer Olympics for several
tered the race. economic benefits antici- years until the 2032 Games
But the same apprehen- pated. are up for grabs.
sions that spooked politi- Just like in the depleted Los Angeles City Coun-
cians and the local popu- field for the 2022 Winter cil President Herb Wesson
lation in Boston soon be- Games which saw Beijing called the agreement a
came evident in Europe defeat Almaty, the IOC “win-win-win scenario.”
where three cities pulled was left with only two can- The opportunity to host the
out. didates again. Games “is a golden oc-
Uncomfortably for IOC With two powerful cities casion further strengthen-
President Thomas Bach, left vying for 2024, Bach ing Los Angeles — not just
whose much-vaunted realized France or the U.S. through bricks and mortar,
Agenda 2020 reforms were could be deterred from but through new opportu-
designed to make host- going through another nities for our communities
ing more streamlined and contest for 2028 if they lost. to watch, play and benefit
less costly after the lavish Bach floated the idea in from sport,” Wesson said.q