Current Events > How does LA get to host the Olympics twice in less than 50yrs

(+) Yeah! (+)

I thought it was like a once in a lifetime thing

Its getting harder to find places that are willing and able to host.

I mean, Paris hosted the games in 1900 and 1924, so...

Also, SLC is hosting the Winter games again in 2034, 32 years after their inaugural competition.

whitelytning posted...

Its getting harder to find places that are willing and able to host.

Very true, even more so with the Winter Olympics.

whitelytning posted...

Its getting harder to find places that are willing and able to host.

This.

The Olympics is a huge money sink, and the economies often take a beating afterwards (I believe Greece even had an economic crash after they hosted two decades ago).

seems like a lot of cities in America could do it. Has Chicago ever had one?

You see this with the world cup, but having events like the olympics (or the WC) in places that don't have the infrastructure (even if they spend a ton of money building stuff) ends poorly for the host. South Africa being one of the most prominent examples.

Spiderman23J posted...

seems like a lot of cities in America could do it. Has Chicago ever had one?

They have tried but no, they've never hosted.

Closet it's gotten to Chicago is St. Louis back in 1904, when the event was much smaller. IIRC, there were a lot of logistical issues (i.e., taking a ship to the coast, and then taking a train from the coast to the center of the country) that resulted in lower than expected turnout. Again, 1904.

hitokoriX posted...

You see this with the world cup, but having events like the olympics (or the WC) in places that don't have the infrastructure (even if they spend a ton of money building stuff) ends poorly for the host. South Africa being one of the most prominent examples.

Tbh, I'm worried about how my hometown (Kansas City) will handle it's World Cup matches in 2026. I don't think the city will be ready for it.

As huge as many US cities are, most don't have the infrastructure to host all of the events that are in the Olympics.

Even LA is outsourcing the softball tournament to Oklahoma.

Money.

Weather, money, size, airport

They should have two Summer cities and two Winter cities and just rotate between them. Most cities spend billions to host the Olympics and then the facilities are left to rot. Look at the Olympic buildings built in Rio just 8 years ago

You forgot 1932.

1984 was because no one else would or could. The Olympics was considered dead after Montreal '76, which took 20 years to pay off.

LA '84 was the first Olympics to turn a profit, revitalizing the brand. Afterwards, many other cities wanted an Olympics. Plus it's a destination many want to go to, with perfect weather, and unlike most of the rest of the world, it already has all the venues necessary to host an Olympics.

2028 is another attempt to revitalize the brand, after some thuggish dictatorships using slave labor, and developing countries literally taking food off the table to host an Olympics.

Full disclosure: I have an "association" with LA28

money