LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles has agreed to host the 2028 Summer Olympics, the city and the International Olympic Committee confirmed on Monday, in a deal that paves the way for Paris to host the 2024 Summer Games.
“The IOC welcomes this decision of the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Candidature Committee, and we are pleased to release the Host City contract 2028 in a transparent and timely manner,” said IOC President Thomas Bach in a statement.
The IOC said it would make contributions to the organising committee worth $1.8 billion.
In an unprecedented move to award two Games at the same time after several other cities withdrew from contention, the IOC’s decision turned the spotlight on security challenges for Paris while giving Los Angeles ample time to upgrade its public transportation system.
The deal was first reported on Monday by the Los Angeles Times, which cited an unnamed source.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office said he and other backers of the city’s bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games would make an announcement to the news media at 5 p.m. PDT (0000 GMT).
But the decision was confirmed in nearly simultaneous statements issued by the IOC in Zurich and the Los Angeles Olympic bid committee in Los Angeles.
“It is a win-win for the two cities,” Canadian senior IOC member Dick Pound told Reuters by phone.
“It’s good for the IOC because we’ve got two great cities lined up for the next two big shows.”
The next Olympic Summer Games, in 2020, is already scheduled to be held in Tokyo.
Los Angeles previously hosted the Summer Games in 1932 and 1984. (Reuters)
