USOC Chair Larry Probst addressed the country’s complicated history with Olympic bidding up front at the start of the high-stakes IOC Evaluation Commission's visit to L.A. today. “This morning, I had a moment to reflect on the historic importance of your visit from a personal point of view, and I would add from (USOC CEO) Scott Blackmun’s as well,” Probst said. "Almost eight years ago, just after the disappointing loss of Chicago 2016, the USOC set a goal to find the right time frame and the right candidate city to bring the Olympics and Paralympic Games back to the United States. I believe we have accomplished that goal." Tying that frustration to his confidence in L.A., he continued by saying, "As you begin your evaluation here this morning, I’m confident you’ll see what we have seen in Los Angeles: A candidate city with a masterful plan designed to create a spectacular experience for the athletes while at the same time embracing the principles of Agenda 2020 in scale and detail." Agenda 2020 is the IOC reform package that purports to emphasize sustainability and affordability in bidding and hosting, among other items. In about 20 minutes of public welcoming remarks -- the only public part of the two-plus days of meetings -- Probst, LA 2024 Chair Casey Wasserman, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and U.S. IOC members Angela Ruggiero and Anita DeFrantz all touched on L.A.’s key selling points to the commission, namely the low-risk plan, private funding and creativity and diversity found in Southern California. Notably, three of the commission’s 13 members are absent -- Sweden's Gunilla Lindberg, Japan's Tsunekazu Takeda and Nigeria's Habu Gumel of Nigeria -- leaving just eight voting IOC members on the trip.
THE START OF SOMETHING GOOD? The events officially kicked off at about 8:31am PT, when Commission Chair Patrick Baumann, an IOC member from Switzerland, walked into an J.W. Marriott conference room past a throng of about 100 reporters. They will meet behind closed doors throughout the day. In his brief remarks, Baumann emphasized IOC reforms that have made the commission’s work less competitive and more collaborative. “First and foremost, it is a partnership,” he said, with the goal of improving the bid before an IOC vote as well as assessing its strengths and weaknesses.
