2024 or 2028? Olympic officials sidestep tricky issue during visit to Los Angeles

Olympic officials said Wednesday their visit to Los Angeles this week will not include any discussions about the possibility of asking the city to wait until 2028 to host the Games.

Though L.A. and Paris are competing for 2024, the International Olympic Committee is considering naming both cities as winners and having one of them go four years later.

That deliberation will take place at IOC headquarters in Switzerland. But meantime, evaluators have arrived in Southern California for several days of meetings and tours.

“This evaluation commission is for 2024,” Patrick Baumann, the delegation’s chairman, insisted. “We will be concentrating on the bid process that has started.”

Casey Wasserman, chairman of the private LA 2024 bid committee, also addressed the issue when speaking with reporters.

“There’s obviously been a lot of discussion recently about this ’24-’28 question,” he said. “And, frankly, I applaud the IOC’s thinking. It’s the right thinking at the right time.”

The Olympic movement has seen numerous potential hosts back away in recent years, with cities concerned about the cost of staging the Games.

L.A. and Paris are seen as strong contenders, running neck-and-neck, so the IOC could benefit from accepting both as hosts.

The problem is, neither candidate has expressed any willingness to go second.

“This week is our opportunity to focus on the core question,” Wasserman said. “Why is L.A. — in 2024 — the right city?”

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