IOC unanimously votes to award 2024 and 2028 Olympics in September
The International Olympic Committee has locked in the near-future of the Summer Olympics by deciding to award the 2024 and 2028 Games simultaneously on Sept. 13 at the 131st IOC Session in Lima, Peru.
The decision was made as Los Angeles and Paris bid leaders met in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Tuesday to vote on the 2024-2028 proposal. It was approved unanimously.
For the first time since the bidding for the 1988 Summer Games, the IOC has two options to pick from. Los Angeles and Paris have both expressed strong interest in winning 2024 but the IOC decision now ensures that both cities will host within the next 11 years. The United States has not hosted a Summer Olympics since Atlanta in 1996. Paris has not hosted a Summer Olympics since 1924.
It’s a safe decision for IOC President Thomas Bach after Boston, Budapest, Hamburg and Rome dropped out of contention to host in 2024 due to the public outcry and referendums against any potential bid.
The abandoned venues and mounting debt from the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo 2020’s estimated budget doubling from $6.6 billion to more than $12 million are more reasons for why many major cities are turning away from wanting to stage the biggest sporting event. The host city contract requires the host city’s government to serve as a backup in case the Olympics run over the budget.
Los Angeles and Paris appear to be viable options to host the Olympics with many facilities and venues already in place so there is less of a chance that the budget to host does not balloon to the level of recent games like Beijing ($40 billion) or Sochi ($51 billion). Paris’ bid does come with a $2 billion price tag to build an Olympic Village and an aquatics center.
Most signs are pointing toward Paris being awarded the 2024 Olympics and Los Angeles getting 2028. Paris has made 2024 its sole priority while Los Angeles has expressed some interest in waiting the four extra years for 2028. Nothing is official until the IOC Session.
