US will bid to host 2024 Summer Games
PUBLISHED ONDecember 17, 2014 3:00 AM
CALIFORNIA - The United States will bid for the 2024 Olympics, seeking to host the Summer Games for the first time since 1996, the country's Olympic committee said on Tuesday.
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Washington are under consideration as sites and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) said it expects to make a final decision in January.
"We're so lucky to have four great cities ... they all have compelling strengths," USOC Chief Executive Scott Blackmun said during a news conference. "We need to have a discussion of the pros and cons of each individual city."
Los Angeles is considered the front-runner among the four US finalists, having hosted the 1932 and 1984 Olympics. Boston, San Francisco and Washington would be first-time hosts.
Asked if there was one factor that could make the difference in deciding on the candidate city for the United States, USOC Chairman Larry Probst replied: "It's a combination of things.
"It's leadership, it's the support in the local community both politically, from the business community and educational institutions ... obviously the venue plan is important.
"We want to pick the city that we believe has the best possible chance to prevail in international competition."
The United States, which is the third country after Germany and Italy to officially launch a bidding process, has not held the Summer Games since 1996 when Atlanta was the host. The Winter Games were in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Istanbul, Doha, Baku, Budapest, Paris and an African city are among others who could potentially bid. Cities have until next September to officially put in a bid with a decision on the 2024 host to be made in mid-2017.
The USOC has spent years patching up strained relationships with the International Olympic Committee over revenue sharing that hampered the last two US bids for the Summer Games.
Chicago went out the opening round of voting for 2016, won by Rio de Janiero. New York lost in the second round of a five-city final for 2012, won by London.