Los Angeles is looking for a three-peat with its attempt to host the 2024 Olympic Games. The Olympics have made their mark on the city, for sure, and vice-versa. LA's 1932 Olympics created Olympic Boulevard. The 1984 Olympics made history, not just because they closed with an incredible Lionel Ritchie performance and a UFO landing, but also because they were a turning point for the event, a revenue-producing Games where nothing terrible happened, unlike the "tragic, money-losing and morale-sapping" string of Games before (Munich, Montreal and Moscow), as the Associated Press puts it. And yet, despite the strong history, Los Angeles failed in its bid to host the 2016 Games (darn you, Rio de Janiero). So why is it so confident it can win the race to host the Olympics this time?
"Los Angeles is the ideal Olympic city, with endless diversity, attractions and scenic beauty," Mayor Garcetti says in a press release about the bid-making process. The bid has been kept quiet to respect "the USOC's attempt to keep the vetting process hush-hush," but the AP reveals it will hit hard on LA's strong points:
· LA's bid presents a narrative of a "glamorous city's reinvention in recent years," wrapping the "hipster haven" of Downtown, the Silicon Beach tech boom, and the entertainment industry all together in into one great, transformed city.
· Iconic locations? We've got 'em, and they'd feature prominently in the Olympics. Events would take place in four main zones that include "the Hollywood sign, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Santa Monica beach and Riviera Country Club" within their boundaries. The main stadium would be an expanded Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park, which was central to the two previous LA Games.
· LA's new public transit lines (the extensions of the Expo and Purple Lines) and the new carpool lanes on the 405 will show off LA's big-time investment in public transportation since the 1984 Games. And let's not forget the internal and external upgrades to LAX! It'll be easier this time around for people to get to LA, and then get around (even in 1984, there was famously little congestion due to thorough planning). "Designated lanes for Olympic transit" could be employed to cut back traffic even further.
As with any and every Olympics, there's the question of money. The mayor's office is currently keeping silent about any kind of budget for the bid and for the Games. The 1984 Games did generate a profit that was used to fund intramural sports, which is awesome considering that most Olympics end up being financial losers for host cities, but it's unsure of where financing will come from at this point. LA is one of four US cities that made the first round of US Olympic Committee cuts for the nomination to host in 2024 (Boston, San Francisco, and Washington DC are also in the running).
· Los Angeles making quiet bid for 2024 Olympics [AP]
· Here Are LA's Huge Plans for the 2024 Olympics [Curbed LA]
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