It became a tale of two cities for the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games, when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted today to award both Summer Olympics simultaneously in September.

During a press conference in June, IOC President Thomas Bach spoke of the executive board’s proposal to the IOC Session to award both games at the same time. Today marks the approval of that proposal, and the committee is scheduled to make the announcement during its convention on September 13 in Lima, Peru.

With Los Angeles and Paris the only two cities vying for the 2024 Games, this means Los Angeles is certain to be awarded one set, likely in 2028, while Paris will be selected to host the 2024 Games.

Boston, Rome, Budapest and Hamburg had expressed interest, but later pulled out.

Los Angeles and Paris both made formal presentations to the IOC today in Lausanne, with Los Angeles officials arguing their city is the best fit for taking the Olympics movement into the future.

“L.A. possesses a huge array of existing, modern sports facilities,” Janet Evans, a four-time Olympic champion and the vice chair of the LA 2024 committee spearheading the city’s effort to be selected as host, told the IOC today. “The evaluation Commission called our venues ‘mind-blowing’ — and they are.”

 

In April, renderings were released for the Long Beach Sports Park, to include the Long Beach Arena for Olympic handball, the waterfront for triathlon, marathon swimming and Paralympic triathlon, and temporary BMX and water polo venues, as well as the pier for sailing.

With the IOC’s approval of simultaneously awarding both Games, it is expected the move will secure the ‘28 Games for Los Angeles “because the city’s delegation has been receptive to the idea while the Paris organizers have insisted on ’24 because they said the planned Olympic village will not be available in ’28,” according to reports.

Aimed at fighting corruption and improving transparency, the Olympic Agenda 2020’s reforms have been embraced by both cities, Bach expressed the evening before the presentations.

 

“First, we’re a young city, full of fresh, new ideas,” Garcetti said. “Second, we’re not focused on the last 100 years, we are focussed on the next 100. The question every candidate city must answer is ‘What do we leave behind after the games are over—not only for our city, but for the movement? “We’ve thought a lot about this. Our goal is to offer you something different, something unique—not more of the same. None of us can afford more of the same.”

City News Service contributed to this report.

Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].