{"id":34239,"date":"2017-07-10T12:49:58","date_gmt":"2017-07-10T12:49:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=34239"},"modified":"2017-07-10T12:49:58","modified_gmt":"2017-07-10T12:49:58","slug":"u-s-olympic-leaders-head-ioc-meetings-questions-2024-2028-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/world-news\/u-s-olympic-leaders-head-ioc-meetings-questions-2024-2028-process.html","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Olympic leaders head to IOC meetings with questions about 2024, 2028 process"},"content":{"rendered":"

U.S. Olympic leaders head to IOC meetings with questions about 2024, 2028 process<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

For more than a decade, the U.S. Olympic Committee has been trying to bring the Summer Games back to the country. But now with that prospect closer than ever, it has more questions than answers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The USOC and LA 2024 head to Lausanne, Switzerland, for the bid\u2019s final briefing with the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday and Wednesday. During its meetings, the IOC will vote on a recommendation to award the 2024 and 2028 Olympics to Los Angeles and Paris.<\/span><\/p>\n

After that, the path forward remains unclear.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are going to be a lot of questions if they decide to go forward with the dual award just because we haven\u2019t done it before,\u201d USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said last month. \u201cWe\u2019re going to make sure we understand what the rules of engagement are and take a close look at it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Should the IOC adopt the unanimous recommendation of its executive board, the path to its vote in Lima on Sept. 13 is unknown.<\/span><\/p>\n

In announcing the recommendation, IOC president Thomas Bach would not say what that might look like. A traditional bidding cycle would culminate with one city selected as the 2024 host.<\/span><\/p>\n

But with a dual award, that could effectively be pre-determined by any negotiations the IOC has with cities in the next two months. Or the IOC could determine what each city would need to accept a 2028 Games and vote between the two based on that information.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last month, Bach said the IOC is not in a position to negotiate until its membership approves the dual award.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter (the vote), for me, in an ideal world, would be an agreement between the three parties \u2013 the two candidate cities and the IOC and the agreement in the way I tried to indicate before, which makes each of the partners of this agreement winning partners.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Acceptance of a 2028 award would come with myriad logistical hurdles, including contracts for venues and legislation that has already passed to serve as a financial backstop for the Games.<\/span><\/p>\n

Publicly, Bach has rebuffed the notion of negotiating with the 2028 city, saying last month, \u201cI don\u2019t think you need to reward somebody if you give somebody a present.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While Paris has said it could only consider 2024, officials for Los Angeles\u2019 bid have conceded it\u2019s smart to look at awarding both.<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the IOC\u2019s evaluation commission in May, LA 2024 chairman Casey Wasserman told USA TODAY Sports that if his bid were to consider the dual award, the 2028 winner would need accommodations that would allow it to \u201cbenefit \u2026 disproportionately to the \u201924 city.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think both cities are in a position today where we\u2019re bidding for \u201924 because that\u2019s all we\u2019re allowed to bid for,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I think both cities have more questions than answers to what it would mean to even consider \u201924 and \u201928.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think if it comes to that, whichever city would be \u201928 would be able to point pretty clearly to things that were significant if it happened. Because otherwise I don\u2019t think any city would accept it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With bids that rely heavily on existing infrastructure and venues, Los Angeles and Paris provide a lower risk proposition than the IOC has had in recent memory.<\/span><\/p>\n

A report from the IOC\u2019s evaluation commission, released last week, found both bids to be \u201coutstanding\u201d with financial risks that are low for this stage of planning.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bids \u201chave put the Olympic movement in a win-win situation, with very little to separate the two projects,\u201d said Patrick Baumann, chair of the evaluation commission.<\/span><\/p>\n

Certainly, America wants the Games back. It has not hosted a Summer Olympics since 1996, and New York (2012) and Chicago (2016) have had failed bids since then.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Blackmun said the USOC would view a 2028 Games through the lens of its mission, to help U.S. athletes win medals, and have discussions with the IOC after its vote.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really trying to begin to make sure that we have all the questions in place that would need to be answered, but at this point, we\u2019re focused on 2024 just like LA 2024 is,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

SOURCE:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/olympics\/2017\/07\/10\/us-olympic-leaders-have-questions-2024-2028-process\/463609001\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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