Reporting from Lima Convention Center in Peru – Paris has been officially awarded the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Los Angeles has been given the nod to host the event in 2028, marking the first time in almost a hundred years that two Summer Olympic Games have been awarded on a single day.
There were no surprises in Lima Wednesday and no envelope to tear open to reveal the winning city as instead the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ratified a tripartite agreement with Paris and Los Angeles that will see both cities host the Games for the third time each next decade. A unanimous show of hands made it so, while bid delegations were on hand to watch.
The agreement locks in Los Angeles as host city almost 11 years ahead of the Games Opening Ceremony, the longest time allotted to an organizing committee in history. Paris will host on the 100th anniversary of its previous Games.
The ratification followed the approval of the IOC Evaluation Commission report on the LA 2028 bid that was required after Los Angeles shifted gears from 2024 to instead bid for the 2028 Games, clearing the way for Paris. Both cities entertained IOC members with 25-minute presentations.
During Paris’ presentation, French IOC member Guy Drut spoke of “passing the torch” to Bid Co-Chair Tony Estanguet, hinting that he may go on to lead the future organizing committee. French President Emmanuel Macron offered his recorded remarks, promising continued strong support for the Paris Games.
The LA 2028 team were casual and relaxed, with Bid Chair Casey Wasserman promising a “unique brand of California cool.” Some on-stage delegates, including Wassermen, wore sneakers with their suits and ties.
Both Mayors Anne Hidalgo form Paris and Eric Garcetti from Los Angeles, who are personal friends, sent endless praise to each other during the presentations and promised ongoing cooperation between their organizing committees. Last year, when the cities were serious rivals, delegates often had the habit of exchanging subtle jabs during prepared remarks.
The race began early in 2015 with a different U.S. candidate but the abysmal public support for Boston forced that city to part ways with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) who turned to Los Angeles instead just days before the application deadline. Three other cities entered the race including Budapest, Rome and Hamburg but those European cities dropped out after public and political push-back.
With both Paris and Los Angeles rated a “10” by IOC Evaluation Commission Chair Patrick Baumann after visits to the cities in May, Bach seized on the opportunity and proposed and engineered the tripartite deal that will secure “stability” for the Games for the next decade.
Baumann said Wednesday “With Paris and Los Angeles, the Olympic Games are in good hands.”
“It is low risk and high reward both for the Olympic Movement and Olympic cities.”
IOC Vice President John Coates who was key in drafting the tripartite arrangement said of the resuts “I think they must have seen the advantages, they see there will be no losers out of this, we know they’re two outstanding bids and it was an outstanding opportunity so we presented that opportunity to them and they accepted, so I’m very pleased.”
Paris will site events across iconic venues, and will build an Olympic Village along the Seine River at Saint-Denis. A new Olympic Aquatic Center and Media Village elements will be constructed to support the sports celebration.
Los Angeles’ plans include the use of the UCLA campus for the Olympic Village and will leverage all existing or temporary venues and infrastructure. This will remove costs and risks, allowing for better focus on the athletes experience, the bid has said.
