Los Angeles has formally expressed interest in hosting the Summer Olympics in 2024. Considering how we are one of only a handful of metropolitan cities that house some of the biggest franchises in sports—along with popular yearly events like this past weekend’s LA Marathon—we think Los Angeles stands a good chance of also carrying the Olympic torch.
“On behalf of the City of Los Angeles, I am pleased to confirm our enthusiastic interest in bidding to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Villaraigosa wrote in a letter to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). “We are proud of our city’s sports heritage and tradition, and we stand ready to work with you to bring the Olympic Games back to the United States.”
The USOC will still have to consider interest from other cities, with New York being a top contender on that list, before moving forward with the selection process. If accepted, the 2024 Olympics would mark four decades since L.A. hosted the Olympics in 1984, and nearly a century since it hosted the Summer games in 1932. The decision on the 2024 host will not be made until 2017, but knowing L.A., it’s never too early to start planning ahead for opening to closing ceremony traffic.
The 2016 Summer Olympics will be held in Rio, Brazil, while three final candidates—Istanbul, Madrid, Tokyo—have to wait until a decision is made later this year to see who will host in 2020.
Photo Above: The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE, poised high above Downtown L.A.’s sports and entertainment complex, would be the perfect place to call home if the Olympics return to Los Angeles in 2024.
