Though LA 2024 "continues to push" for hosting the '24 Games, it "seems bid leaders are compiling a list of concessions they could seek in return for taking" the '28 Games instead, according to David Wharton of the L.A. TIMES. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti "identified one wish-list item at a news conference this week, saying he would like" the IOC to "fund youth programs" throughout the city. Garcetti: "My dream is not so much just to bring the Olympics here, but to bring youth sports for free to every ZIP Code." LA 2024 "could be in position to ask for such funding." Garcetti: "As we’ve talked to the Olympics, they’ve asked us to think about -- both Paris and us -- what would it take for us to consider one of us going first and the other going second." L.A. "appears more suitable for postponement if only because existing structures form the core" of the city's plan. There would be "no need for major construction." Wharton notes waiting another four years "could also put L.A. in position to ask for more than just youth sports funding." A potential agreement could include a "bigger slice of IOC revenues, kinder terms in the host-city contract and perhaps some say over which sports are included on the program" (L.A. TIMES, 6/2).
PAY TO PLAY: The AP's Mari Yamaguchi notes the price tag on the '20 Tokyo Games has "ballooned to nearly twice the initial estimate, even after a major cost-cutting effort." A major reason is that cities "exclude large amounts of associated costs when they submit a bid to host the Olympics." The bid figures include only the "core components such as the main facilities so that the bids are easier to compare." Building design, security measures, transportation and other costs are "largely excluded." Tokyo organizers this week said that the estimated cost is now $12.6B (all figures U.S.). When Tokyo was awarded the Olympics in September '13, the total was $6.6B. The cost of the '12 London Games "tripled from a bid estimate" of $6.5-19B. Yamaguchi also notes the $51B price tag for the '14 Sochi Games "led numerous cities to drop out of bidding" for the '22 and '24 Games (AP, 6/2). Meanwhile, a full list of medal events for the Tokyo Games "will be finalized" by the IOC next week, one month ahead of schedule. Among more than 60 proposals, 3-on-3 basketball is an "expected favorite." The format, which "once seemed set" for the '16 Rio Games, had its bid for inclusion curbed when organizers "were stretched preparing for just the regular program" (AP, 6/2).
