Los Angeles has accepted a deal to stage the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games – which means that the 2024 Games will be heading to Paris.
The Los Angeles Organising Committee confirmed that it had signed a contract with the International Olympic Committee that will see it given £1.8bn to compensate it for stepping aside until 2028 and to help it increase participation for youth sports programmes.
Paris and Los Angeles had both originally bid for the 2024 Games – but IOC president Thomas Bach told the two cities to work out a plan to share the 2024 and 2028 Olympics. Bach said he welcomed LA's decision, before confirming that he expected Paris to be confirmed as the 2024 hosts shortly.
“We are very confident that we can reach a tripartite agreement under the leadership of the IOC with LA and Paris in August, creating a win-win-win situation for all three partners,” he said. “This agreement will be put forward to the IOC Session in Lima in September for ratification.”
The agreement means that LA will become a three-time Olympic city, after hosting the 1932 and 1984 Games – and Paris, which held the Games in 1900 and 1924, will host a centenary celebration in 2024.
The decision was endorsed by LA mayor Eric Garcetti, who claimed: "This agreement will allow us to seed a legacy of hope and opportunity that will lift up every community in Los Angeles."
Michael Payne, a senior advisor to the Los Angeles' bid team and the IOC's marketing director, said the decision was a triumph for Bach.
“Clearly there were serious concerns with the hosting process after Rio, but Bach’s strategy of locking down Paris and LA has ensured that the IOC got two great hosts with the majority of their infrastructure in place,” he added.
(Guardian service)
