WHOA: Boston is OUT of the running for the 2024 Olympics and that means Los Angeles is the frontrunner to become the US's bid city. Back in January, the US Olympic Committee chose Boston as the one US city that would make a bid to the International Olympic Committee to hold the 2024 summer Olympics, ruling out Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington DC. But Boston's road to the bid has been a mess: the organizing committee kept changing plans, some venue landlords weren't even consulted, and locals hated the whole thing. Now the Boston Globe reports that today, "United States Olympic Committee and officials from the local bid group, Boston 2024, 'have reached a mutual agreement to withdraw Boston's bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games'."
The USOC only has until September to figure out an alternative and "experts believe" that the best option is 1932 and 1984 host Los Angeles. LA had proposed a bid centered on several clusters of venues: one in Exposition Park, one Downtown (taekwondo at Disney Hall!), one along the LA River, one on the Westside, one in Long Beach, and one in Carson. And major infrastructure projects like a rail extension to LAX and LA River revitalization could get huge boosts if the city is chosen to host. (None of that changes the fact that host cities tend to lose big on the games.)
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement today he's still gung ho to host: "I would be happy to engage in discussions with the USOC about how to present the strongest and most fiscally responsible bid on behalf of our city and nation."
· Boston 2024 Olympic bid is 'over' [Boston Globe]
· Whoa, LA Could Be Back in the Running For the 2024 Olympics [Curbed LA]
· Here Are LA's Huge Plans for the 2024 Olympics [Curbed LA]