Sept. 13 (UPI) — For the first time in modern Olympics history, the International Olympic Committee announced two host locations at once Wednesday: Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles in 2028.
The two cities are scheduled to host the XXXIII and XXXIV Summer Olympics, respectively.
“It is hard to imagine something better. Ensuring the stability of the Olympic Games for the athletes of the world for the next 11 years is something extraordinary,” IOC President Thomas Bach said after a committee meetingin Lima, Peru.
Los Angeles and Paris were originally competing to host the 2024 Games. The United States has been trying to bring the Summer Games back to the country for the first time in more than two decades. Initially, Boston was the city chosen to represent the United States in the 2024 bid, but the city dropped out after officials became hesitant of putting taxpayers on the hook for the cost.
Los Angeles then picked up the baton to represent the United States in 2024.
“Bringing the Olympics back home to LA gives us the chance to imagine what our city will look like a decade from now,” Eric Garcetti, mayor of Los Angeles, said. “LA is a city where the Games are not a barrier to making progress; we know that they are an accelerating force to re-envisioning a better city and a better world in the days ahead as we welcome you back to the City of Angels.”
The United States last hosted the Summer Games in Atlanta in 1996. Los Angeles has hosted the Games twice before — in 1984 and 1932.
Paris hosted the Summer Olympics in 1900 and 1924.
“Today I am delighted to invite you to join the great family of Parisians, a family which belongs to the world,” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said. “With this team, I am very proud and moved to bring the Games back to Paris. At the heart of these Games, we will place young people, who represent our present, our hope and our pride.”
The IOC selected Tokyo to host the next Summer Olympics, in 2020. Pyeongchang, South Korea, will host the 2018 Winter Olympics and Beijing will host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
