(ATR) The mayor's office in Los Angeles tells Around the Rings the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has been in contact with bid leaders in the city to potentially replace the Boston bid to host the 2024 Olympics.
The press office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was unable to offer any information other than there has been communication between bid leaders and the USOC thus far.
Los Angeles has been pegged by many as the favorite to replace Boston due to its Olympic legacy hosting the Games in 1984 and its many professional sports teams and venues that could be utilized in a bid. The city is also currently hosting the 14th Special Olympics World Games.
On Monday, Garcetti issued a statement saying his office had yet to communicate with the USOC about the possibility of stepping into the bid but would completely support the idea.
"I continue to believe that Los Angeles is the ideal Olympic city, and we have always supported the USOC in their effort to return the Games to the United States. I would be happy to engage in discussions with the USOC about how to present the strongest and most fiscally responsible bid on behalf of our city and nation," Garcetti says.
Los Angeles was one of three cities beat out by Boston to make a run at the 2024 Olympics. San Francisco and Washington D.C. rounded out the field that was whittled down to Boston by the USOC in January.
Bobby Goldwater, a person familiar with the original Washington, D.C. bid, tells ATR Los Angeles is a very logical choice to step into the bid.
"The leaders of the original DC area bid will have to be convinced that there isn't already a commitment to L.A. before deciding to consider attempting to try again ... a scenario that many people will have difficulty believing," the former president of the D.C. sports and entertainment commission tells ATR.
"With its many existing venues and major event experience, L.A. can be a very strong bid city contender."
However, a bid from the United States' capital should not be counted out. Washington D.C. will host the ANOC meeting at the end of October. Although the deadline to submit a bid to the IOC is in September, if the USOC were to choose the capital city the ANOC meeting would allow bid leaders to show off the city to many IOC members.
ATR reached out to the mayor’s office in San Francisco but they were unavailable for comment.
The USOC is maintaining their silence on who will likely replace Boston as the USOC’s candidate to host the 2024 Games.
"We will brief the media on our progress towards a decision later in August, and we will not have any public statements on the subject of a possible bid until then," the USOC said in a statement.
The IOC fully expects the USOC to submit another candidate to the race after Boston dropped out.
"We had a commitment from the USOC for an Olympic candidature for 2024. And we are sure that the USOC will deliver on this commitment and that we will have on 15 September a bid from the United States," said IOC president Thomas Bach.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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