Last summer, Los Angeles hosted the Special Olympics World Games. Bringing 6,500 athletes from 165 countries as well as 2,000 coaches and 500,000 spectators, L.A. is ready to take on a bigger challenge.
Recently LA24 released a video placing Los Angeles in the bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Los Angeles is competing with Rome, Paris, Budapest and Hamburg.
If chosen to be the hosting city, this will be an exciting time for Los Angeles residents as well as American citizens. The Olympic Games haven’t even taken place in the United States since 1996. For those of us who are Millennials, we haven’t experienced what it’s like to have such a big world-wide event held on our territory.
On their website, LA24 argues that LA is a home field advantage for everyone. Los Angeles is home to people from over 100 different countries, speaking more than 200 languages. From Chinatown to Olvera Street, L.A. embraces all the cultures from around the world.
Aside from the diversity L.A. has to offer, it also has many sports venues. Eighty-five percent of the Olympic venues already exist or are currently in the making. Therefore the city wouldn’t have to invest much into the building of new stadiums and fields.
LA24 has planned to spread the event out into five areas: Downtown L.A., Hollywood, Sepulveda, Santa Monica and Southbay. They also plan on using the Rose Bowl, Lake Casitas, The Forum and L.A. Waterfront.
Population in Los Angeles is almost at $4 million. Over 13,000 athletes compete in the Olympic Games, so is there room for this many athletes?
The last time L.A. hosted the games was in 1984 and before that was in 1932. L.A. is definitely ready to host the games once again.
It is known that the 1984 games generated $225 million surplus that supported athletes. The 1984 games also upgraded facilities for the youth and provided equipment.
However, as with any large event like the Olympics, there can be some negative side effects.
In 2012 when the UK hosted the Olympic Games, there was a downfall in tourism. In an area such as the UK with such high tourism rates, many people who typically visit the area avoided it during the games–which is something for L.A. to consider since on any given weekend L.A. hotels are almost fully booked.
Los Angeles has two years to prove that they are the best city for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Voting for the 2024 Games will take place in Lima, Peru in September 2017 during the IOC’s conference.
For more information on LA24, visit http://www.la24.org.
