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Could another U.S. city host the Olympics before L.A. gets a chance … – Los Angeles Times
Only a month after Los Angeles was officially named host of the 2028 Summer Games, U.S. Olympic Committee officials expressed their desire to put forth another American bid in the near future.
“I think I put a stake in the ground and said we are interested in hosting the Winter Games,” USOC Chairman Larry Probst said in a teleconference on Friday.
The next Olympics up for grabs would be 2026, which could be problematic given L.A.’s efforts to prepare and rally domestic support over the next 11 years. LA 2028 officials have said they would need to give the matter careful consideration before backing any such move.
Probst acknowledged that it might be better to try for 2030 “so there’s no confusion.”
But there has been speculation that the International Olympic Committee might pursue a dual 2026-2030 award much like the one that recently resulted in Paris receiving 2024 and L.A. getting 2028 simultaneously.
If that happens, Probst said, “we certainly want to be in that conversation. We want to be at the table for that discussion.”
So the U.S. might have to select a candidate and enter the race by early next year.
The USOC said it will seek further information from the IOC and potentially launch a process by which cities can express interest. Denver, Reno, Nev., and Salt Lake City — which hosted the Winter Games in 2002 — could be in the running.
IOC President Thomas Bach has suggested that he would like to see the Winter Games return to a traditional location. American officials have taken that to mean a city in Europe or North America.
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