In late February 2017, Budapest, Hungary dropped out of the running to host the 2024 Olympics. This leaves only Los Angeles and Paris as the only two cities left.
Los Angeles 2024 is the better bid based on the fact that no new permanent structures have to be built, whereas Paris 2024 has to build an Olympic village from scratch. The cost to Paris 2024 will be one to two billion dollars. Los Angeles 2024 has a budget of 5.3 billion dollars while Paris 2024 has a bid of 4.8 billion dollars but also up to 5 billion in infrastructure projects. The reason I bring this up is Los Angeles 2024's bid is privately financed while Paris 2024 will have their bid funded by the French government. Los Angeles bid theme is "Follow the Sun" while Paris 2024 theme is "Made for Sharing".
Ever since the IOC has passed 2020 reforms, cities have dropped out of bidding on games because of high bid cost and high cost of putting on the games themselves. Boston, Rome, Budapest, and Hamburg all pulled their 2024 Olympic bids due to unpopularity and cost. The Sochi winter games in 2014 cost over 50 billion dollars. The Tokyo 2020 summer games have big cost overruns, and their Olympic stadium had to be redesigned because of the original cost of a billion dollars. The 2008 Beijing summer games also had cost overruns but were awarded the 2022 winter games over Almaty, Kazakhstan based on the more stable, cost efficient bid. Very few permanent structures have to be built for the Beijing 2022 bid. Almost all Rio 2016 Olympic venues are now white elephants and lay in ruins less than a year after the games. These mistakes don't need to be repeated by the IOC. Awarding the 2024 Olympic games to Los Angeles makes sense based on the IOC reforms passed but there are a few hurdles for Los Angeles to clear.
The USA election of Donald Trump in the fall of 2016 could complicate the Los Angeles 2024 bid. President Trump's populist agenda might be popular in the USA but not with the IOC. The IOC could vote to defeat the Los Angeles 2024 bid based on Donald Trump's election as USA President. President Trump has proposed two Muslim travel bans from seven mid-eastern countries over the first 90 days of his administration. These bans would restrict Muslims visa holders from entering the USA from seven countries(Iraq, Syria, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Yemen) for 90 days(Syrian refugees 120 Days) so that the Trump administration could find a way to vet them. When the first ban was struck down by the USA courts. President Trump devised another ban to replace the first ban. Luckily, both bans were overturned by the USA courts but are being appealed by the Trump administration. President Trump fully supports the Los Angeles 2024 bid.
On May 7, 2017 France had a Presidential election. The centrist Emmanuel Macron defeated far right candidate Marine Le Pen. Had Le Pen won the Paris 2024 bid would, in my opinion, taken a back seat to Los Angeles 2024 bid. Le Pen proposed the same anti-immigration policies that USA President Trump has proposed. Since Macron won, the IOC might favor Paris 2024 bid over Los Angeles 2024 despite the fact that it's is a better bid based on the IOC's 2020 reforms. Why? because the USA is anti-immigration and France is not. However, there is a silver lining for both bids.
Within the last year the IOC has discussed awarding both the 2024 and 2028 summer Olympics bid cities together. The stakes are high. The USA has had two failed bids in 2005 New York City and 2009 Chicago (2012 and 2016 games). The USA last held summer games in 1996. Paris has had three failed attempts (1992, 2008 and 2012.) Paris last held games in 1924 and it would be the 100th anniversary of the last Paris summer games. Several IOC members are opposed to the idea of awarding two Olympic games at once. They are afraid of other host cities that now cannot bid on the games for 2028. IOC President Thomas Bach thinks its a good idea because he feels there are too many losers in the bidding process. Both candidate cities vow they are only bidding on 2024. Paris had issued an ultimatum to the IOC saying they could only accept a 2024 bid because the land available to build the Olympic Village will not be available in 2028. Paris 2024 has since walked back that statement. Los Angeles 2024 has kept open a possible 2028 bid by not issuing an ultimatum to the IOC. Both cities would have to agree on it and the order of the cities bids in order for this idea to work. I am for this idea provided Los Angeles be awarded the 2024 games and Paris awarded the 2028 games.
This past week(May 10-12) the IOC visited Los Angeles and toured the venues and met with Los Angeles 2024 bid leaders, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and bid Chairman Casey Wasserman. Next week, May 14-16, the IOC will tour Paris 2024 venues and meet with bid officials.
In June 2017, the IOC will publish the Evaluation Commission report on the visits to the candidate cities and both cities will have a chance to respond to the report. On July 11-12, 2017 there will be a candidate city briefing for members of the IOC and Olympic Federations.
In early September 2017 Los Angeles and Paris will be submitted to the IOC session for election.
On September 13, 2017 in Lima, Peru The IOC will vote on the bid city as part of its session.
My vote is for two bid cities to be awarded at once! Los Angeles would be awarded the 2024 summer Olympic games and Paris would be awarded the 2028 summer Olympic games!
Only time will tell!
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