Los Angeles’ bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games claimed a boost this week after the city hosted several marquee sports events, including the Absolute Fencing Gear FIE Fencing Grand Prix Tournament, the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon, the BNP Paribas Open and the World Baseball Classic.
Los Angeles sells more than 12 million sports event tickets each year, the bid claims, more than the combined attendance for several top European football leagues.
The Grand Prix tournament was the first to be held on US soil in more than three decades, and the Absolute Fencing Gear FIE Grand Prix tournament featured Olympic and World Championships medalists from more than 30 countries.
The tournament took place at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center in the heart of LA 2024’s proposed Long Beach Sports Park, which would be the venue for the Olympic BMX, handball, open-water swimming, sailing, triathlon, and water polo competitions as well as Paralympic triathlon competition, should Los Angeles be successful in its bid.
More than 24,000 athletes from all 50 US states and more than 63 countries participated in the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon Sunday where the course highlighted some of LA’s more iconic attractions including the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Walk of Frame, and Santa Monica beach – LA 2024’s proposed venue for the Olympic beach volleyball competition.
The BNP Paribas Open concluded with a weekend of final matches at the world-famous Indian Wells Tennis Garden, which drew more than 400,000 spectators, including capacity crowds at Stadium 1, the second largest tennis stadium in the world after Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
Los Angeles also hosted the semi-finals and finals of the World Baseball Classic which was won by the United States when it defeated Puerto Rico 8-0 in front of a crowd of 51,565 at Dodger Stadium.
LA 2024 Vice Chair Janet Evans said “on behalf of LA 2024 I would like to congratulate the organizers of this week’s world-class sporting events for their smooth and successful operation. We are fortunate to host global, state-of-the-art events like these on a regular basis in Los Angeles.”
“Our wealth of existing infrastructure, like the Long Beach Convention Center, will allow LA 2024 to spend the seven years leading up to the Games working to deliver the most innovative and personalized Games experience in history, not worrying about construction deadlines or ballooning budgets.”
Los Angeles is competing against Paris to host the 2024 Games. The winning city will be selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Sepember 13 in Lima, Peru.
