Dennis RomeroLos Angeles was named as one of four finalists in the United States Olympic Committee's “potential” bid to host the 2024 Olympic Summer Games.
Boston, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., also made the cut, according to a statement from the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC). The cities are “candidates for a potential U.S. bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” the organization stated.
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti hailed the decision:
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I'm very pleased that the United States Olympic Committee has selected Los Angeles as a finalist to bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Los Angeles is the ideal Olympic city, with endless diversity, attractions and scenic beauty. I look forward to working with the USOC to ensure we present the strongest possible bid for our nation.
L.A. has hosted the Summer Games twice before – in 1932 and in 1984. So it's been a while.
Another Southern California city, San Diego, didn't make the cut. The decision came after a 16-month process in which 35 cities were originally considered for the U.S. bid, the USOC says.
The committee says it will make a decision on which city will carry the U.S. bid early next year. According to the organization:
Credit: U.S. Olympic Team
From here, the USOC will continue in-depth discussions with each of the cities. In early December, the International Olympic Committee Extraordinary Session will take place, during which time the Olympic Agenda 2020, which will shape the future of the Olympic Movement, will be finalized. Following that meeting – likely in early 2015 – the USOC will make a decision on whether or not to bid, and will select a city if a bid is pursued.
The International Olympic Committee is expected to then make its own decision on the Games' host in 2017.
Cross your fingers.
[Added at 2:10 p.m.]: U.S. Rep. Tony Cardenas of the San Fernando Valley said he would urge the USOC to chose Los Angeles as the city to carry America's bid:
The Olympic Games bring the world together for moments that transcend politics, wars and the differences we see separate nations. Los Angeles has proven, twice, that it has the infrastructure, the support and the expertise to host the thousands who will travel to the United States and to provide an amazing experience for millions who will watch at home. I urge the USOC to select Los Angeles; to bid for the 2024 Games and; to once again welcome visitors from around the globe to the city the world looks to for entertainment, fun and the highest levels of athletic competition.
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