Opinion: Another city snubs high cost of Olympic games -- and makes L.A.’s bid more likely

A second city has backed out of competition for the 2024 Summer Olympic games -- Hamburg, Germany -- citing the cost, both increasing the odds in favor of Los Angeles and making it all the more important for L.A. leaders to limit the city’s financial exposure.

A majority of voters in Hamburg (Hambugers?) on Sunday said “no” to hosting the 2024 Summer games -- and to spending millions of dollars on preparations. Boston withdrew as the U.S.’ bid city early this year for the same reason, opening the door for L.A.’s bid. This leaves Rome, Budapest and Paris as rivals.

L.A.’s bid originally was seen as a long shot, but with Paris and Hungary facing other, larger problems at the moment, it could mean the International Olympics Committee looks at the relatively stable Southern California as a good bet for the games when it decides in 2017. This is good for L.A., because it gives the city more leverage to get as good a deal as it did in 1984 when it was also the only viable host city.

Smart city leaders saw the opportunity and forced the IOC to waive the provision that put the city on the hook for paying any overruns. The IOC agreed. That had never happened before, and it has never happened since. Not yet. Hopefully Mayor Eric Garcetti and other city leaders are prepared to press the advantage.

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