The host city for the '24 Games will be chosen next September, but LA 2024 "believes it is already well on its way to building an Olympic city long before" the IOC holds its election, according to Arash Markazi of ESPN L.A. The city, which hosted the '32 and '84 Summer Games, is one of four candidates, joining Istanbul, Paris and Rome. LA 2024 co-Chair Casey Wasserman said, "The stars are aligning. We are thrilled that the Rams will be returning to Los Angeles and playing in a brand new, state-of-the-art stadium in Inglewood, bringing exciting possibilities for its use in 2024. The wealth of existing and planned infrastructure in Los Angeles means LA 2024 has the luxury of selecting the best choices for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, not building them from scratch." L.A. Mayor and LA 2024 co-Chair Eric Garcetti said, "We can offer a bid that not only doesn't go into debt, but everything is going to be used long after the Olympics and will already be built before the Olympics. It's all new facilities since the 1984 Olympics with the exception of the Coliseum, which will be upgraded and has the history. We're talking about cutting-edge facilities. ... We are fitting the plan for the Olympic Games to our city, not the other way around." Garcetti added, "Los Angeles has the capacity, infrastructure, people and experience to make it happen. We have the strongest package in the world. This is a town that has been home to more Olympic athletes than any place on the face of the Earth. ... L.A. knows how to get this done, and a lot of cities can't pull that off logistically. We know how to do this" (ESPNLA.com, 2/13).
