The newsworthiness that Bostonno longer desire to hostthe 2024 Summer Olympics is n’t really a shock . Few cities these days do . But the Olympics do n’t have to be bad for the boniface city — and done the right way , they can actually benefit it . Nowhere is that clearer than Los Angeles , the young frontrunner for 2024 . The Olympics would be near for LA , and even more significantly — LA will be ripe for the Olympics .
These years , hosting the Games israrely seen as the blessing for citiesit once was . Just look at our Olympics news over the last few months : Japan scratch its stadium , Rio is n’t quick , Sochi is a ghost town , Greece , well , you’ve heard about Greece . But Los Angeles achieve something exceptional when it hosted the Summer Olympics in 1984 — they cease up being themost successful secret plan in history . To give the city another chance to replicate that achiever would be a very smart thing for the IOC to do .
LA would give the Olympics a clear victory on the global leg and avail set a roadmap for how cities might expeditiously , sustainably , and responsibly host the biz in the future tense . LA would help the Olympics win back the world ’s goodwill . And here ’s how that could happen .
Overbuilding jumbo venues has become a disheartening trend for major sporting case . Just look at the oversupply of bowl work up specifically for World Cup games inBrazilandQatar , sometimes at outstanding human cost . In the years after the games , the stadiums are often desolate or fall into disrepair . In LA , the big issue , including the opening and closure ceremonies , would hap at the LA Coliseum in Exposition Park , which was built in 1932 for the first Olympics and reuse for the 1984 game as well . Los Angeles’proposalclaims that the only purpose - built development will be some athlete housing which will be reused as affordable housing and part outer space . This is LA ’s big reward , Barry Sanders , professorship of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games , told me . “ The key element for any proposal for LA is our flexibility . We have no want to build up any new permanent venues — we might take to , but we have no need to . We not only have enough locale , we have more than enough venues . ”
One of the mostlegendary tale of the 1984 Olympicswas that the great unwashed were so afraid of getting trap in one of LA ’s notable dealings jams that everyone stayed home or left town , allow athletes and spectators to zip up around town on empty roads . official could affright Angelenos off the route again ( remember Carmageddon ? ) but they likely wo n’t have to : LA is in the midst of a public transit renaissance , building out several critical rail demarcation quicker than any other American urban center . An accelerated timeline would signify many of those major lines will be completed in good order around the clip of the Olympics , including a rail connection and people mover to efficiently deliver rider to and from LAX ( finally ) . The plan says it will turn in 80 per centum of witness by theodolite . I think that ’s totally doable .
Speaking of traffic , that ’s one of the reasons Boston residents wereterrified of hosting the games . Boston’sproposalcentered around walking and theodolite , and yes , everything would have technically been very close and commodious . But that ’s actually trouble when you look at how thick the city is . conceive of hundreds of grand of people attempt to move around such a special geographical country — it ’s destined to be claustrophobic . Los Angeles is about 400 satisfying miles and the locale will be cluster into four major nodes , some of them 30 mi apart . There wo n’t be a particular part of the urban center that will be completely disenable due to crowd .
Boston ’s leaders might have call for the game , but its resident did n’t really want them : 50 % of the population saidthey did not support the Olympics . Not every single person wants the Olympics in LA but I would delineate the vibe here as broadly pro - Olympics . Most importantly , key Angelenos have systematically voice an exclamatory “ yes ” to the games . Mayor Eric Garcetti issued a statement yesterday saying he ’s in : “ I would be happy to engage in discussion with the USOC about how to present the strongest and most fiscally responsible for bid on behalf of our city and Carry Amelia Moore Nation . ”
The metropolis that are go bad to fare the best in the Olympics go forward are the 1 that willstand up to the IOC ’s dopy convention . LA ’s leaders have a turn up cartroad record for not being bully and they have the grounds to enjoin the IOC to back off and let them do the games their way . The IOC has already introducedsome plans for reforming the games , now LA will allow them to show those reform can help produce even better Olympics .
Sure , the Olympics worked great in 1984 , but the metropolis has commute , and so have the means big events are run . Well , you might not know this , but Los Angeles is host theSpecial Olympics World Gamesright this moment . The opening ceremony happened over the weekend at the LA Coliseum — the same venue that would will be used again in 2024 . The Special Olympics is the largest sporting issue happening anywhere on the planet this year : 6,500 athletes and 2,000 coach-and-four representing 165 countries , 30,000 volunteer and 500,000 watcher . All the locus are being tested right now . So far LA is defy up well .
If we had this kind of technology three X ago , just suppose what we could do in 2024 . I mean , really , what else is there to say ?
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