LA ’24 enjoys more popular support than Paris ’24 according to new IOC-funded research, a crucial factor in the race to host the Olympics. In new polling included in the IOC’s evaluation commission report issued today, 78% of L.A. residents said they support the effort to host the Games, with only 8% opposed. In Paris, 63% of city residents support the bid, and 23% oppose it. Both surveys demonstrate that the rivals are among the shrinking number of major western cities willing to host the costly Games, but Paris’ higher opposition could be problematic for the IOC, which has seen numerous American and European bids die in the face of local political objections and is keen to put the politics of bids to the side. The L.A. support is down from 88% found in an oft-cited report from Loyola Marymount Univ. in February '16 but remains high by historical standards. The two most recent U.S. bids had 67% support (Chicago ’16) and 59% (N.Y. ’12). Paris’ 63% today is down from 85% in the race against N.Y., which London ultimately won. It is not clear if today’s report will alter the underlying dynamic of this bid race, in which IOC insiders widely expect Paris to be awarded the ’24 Games and L.A. to get the ’28 Games. However, the U.S. bid will argue that its plan is less susceptible to a referendum to stop it.
CONCERNS FOR BOTH CITIES DETAILED: The IOC commission in general gave both cities high praise for their plans. However, it did raise concerns about L.A.'s traffic problems and relatively weak public transportation system. It also noted uncertain plans by NBCUniversal to build a facility at its own expense that would be the Olympics’ International Broadcast Center and raised concerns that there is no organization that would act as a single liaison between the Organizing Committee and the government. For Paris, the IOC’s concerns were also isolated but possibly significant. It noted that not all of the land for the planned Olympic Village is yet acquired, and some venue funding contracts do not detail who would be responsible for construction overruns. Also, there is substantial local opposition to the plans to build its Media Village. “We are absolutely delighted that the IOC’s report highlights that Paris would be an excellent host of the 2024 Games,” said Paris24 co-Chair Tony Estanguet in a statement. LA24 will host a media conference call this afternoon. The IOC will meet next week in Switzerland to hear the report in detail and approve the plan to award both the ’24 and ’28 Games simultaneously.
