The Star Malaysia

Los Angeles formally announces intent to host 2028 Games

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LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles formally announced its intent to host the 2028 Summer Olympics after agreeing a deal with Games officials that paves the way for Paris to host in 2024.

“The Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic bid committee in cooperatio­n with the Internatio­nal Olympic Committee (IOC), today announced its intention for Los Angeles to host the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games 2028 and its agreement with the Host City Contract 2028,” the LA bid committee said in a statement.

The deal will bring the Olympics to Los Angeles for a third time, after the city staged the Games in 1984 and 1932.

Los Angeles had been in a race with Paris for 2024, with the winner to be named by the IOC on Sept 13 in Lima.

But the possibilit­y that Los Angeles would abandon a 2024 bid and instead accept the 2028 Games has been growing since the IOC decided in July that in an unpreceden­ted move it would attempt to award both Games at its Lima meeting.

Paris had remained insistent on hosting in 2024, on the 100th anniversar­y of the city’s 1924 Olympics.

LA bid officials, who had put forward a US$5.3bil (RM22.7bil) bid for 2024, said on Monday that an agreement had been reached with the IOC on financial considerat­ions that would make waiting an extra four years feasible.

“Under the terms of the Host City Contract 2028, the IOC will advance funds to a Los Angeles Organising Committee in view of the longer planning period and to increase participat­ion and access to youth sports programmes in the City of Los Angeles in the years leading up to the Games,” their statement said.

“The IOC contributi­on as stipulated by the HCC is US$1.8bil (RM7.7bil) and has the potential to exceed US$2bil (RM8.5bil) according to the evaluation of the LA bid committee when taking into account the estimated value of existing sponsor agreements to be renewed and potential new marketing deals.”

The agreement must still be approved by the Los Angeles City Council and the United States Olympic Committee – both of which backed the 2024 bid.

“The Los Angeles City Council and United States Olympic Committee Board of Directors will consider the agreement for approval in August,” the bid committee said.

“If approved, the IOC, LA and Paris may enter a tripartite agreement, clearing the way for IOC Membership to simultaneo­usly confirm the Olympic Games 2024 to Paris and the Olympic Games 2028 to Los Angeles at the next IOC session in Lima, Peru on Sept 13.” — AFP

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