Mayor Eric Garcetti tried Tuesday morning to convince officials with the U.S. Olympic Committee that Los Angeles is the best place to host the 2024 Summer Games.
Garcetti, his advisers and mayors from four other U.S. cities were in Redwood City Tuesday morning to make their pitches to Larry Probst, the chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee.
"I think we made a very great pitch," Garcetti said. "I think they were really satisfied with what they heard. And they understand that LA knows how to do this and make money."
Probst heard from mayors of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, and Washington, D.C. before the committee determines which city — if any — it will submit for the International Olympic Committee's consideration.
USOC officials announced Tuesday a decision to bid for the 2024 Olympics, hoping to bring the Summer Games back to America after a 28-year absence.
A decision on which city the U.S. will put forward for a bid is expected next month.
"We're currently considering four world-class U.S. cities for a potential U.S. bid," USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said in a statement last week. "Each has demonstrated they're capable of hosting a great Olympic and Paralympic Games and we're grateful to the civic and political leadership of each city for participating in this important process.
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"An entire generation of athletes in this country has not had the incredible opportunity to witness the Games in America, and I'm very hopeful that we'll be able to submit a bid next year and attempt to bring the Games back to the U.S."
The IOC's decision is expected in 2017.
Los Angeles has already played host to two Olympics, 1932 and 1984, proving that the city is capable of providing a stage for the world's athletes and Olympic visitors. The prospect of another event in Los Angeles might seem unlikely, but not impossible.
"The Olympics have been held in London three times," Jeff Millman, a spokesman for the mayor, told the Los Angeles Times. "So it can be done in Los Angeles, too."
Earlier this year, Garcetti met with the USOC in Colorado to "discuss how we can present the strongest possible bid for our nation." The last two U.S. bids for the Summer Games — New York and Chicago — bowed out early in the IOC voting process.
The last time the international summer competition visited the United States was 1996 in Atlanta.
Mayor @EricGarcetti and @CaseyWasserman presenting #LA2024 bid to the United States Olympic Committee. pic.twitter.com/RCbXZsAREP — US Olympic Team (@USOlympic) December 16, 2014
