LA 2024 pledges to "illuminate the future" of the Olympic Movement

American bid team with 31 Olympic and Paralympic medals sets out vision for transformative new Games for a new era at Candidate City Presentation

Lausanne, Switzerland - LA 2024 today invited the International Olympic Committee to Follow the Sun to a new Games for a new era during the bid’s Candidate City Presentation in the Olympic capital, Lausanne, as Mayor Eric Garcetti pledged that Los Angeles would "illuminate the future" of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements.

The LA 2024 delegation made a 45-minute presentation to the IOC Members and the presidents of the international summer sports federations, followed by a 30-minute Q&A. The LA bid’s speaker panel comprised the three US IOC Members, Anita DeFrantz, Angela Ruggiero and Larry Probst; Mayor of LA Eric Garcetti; LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman; LA 2024 CEO Gene Sykes; LA 2024 Vice Chair Janet Evans; LA 2024 Vice Chair Candace Cable; LA 2024 Athletes’ Advisory Commission member Allyson Felix; and LA 2024 Sports Director Doug Arnot.

IOC Executive Board Member and LA 2024 Senior Advisor for Legacy Anita DeFrantz introduced the LA 2024 presentation to her IOC colleagues:

"I am very proud of LA 2024 and what it brings for athletes, spectators, the Olympic Movement, and especially to you [the IOC] as leaders. The good news is you know us. We’ve been partners before, and that relationship worked out very well – for both of us."

LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman then set out why Los Angeles is uniquely placed to address the needs and priorities of the Olympic Movement:

"This decision is about the future direction of the Olympic Movement. And as Californians, we see that as an opportunity. Our objective is to best serve your [the IOC’s] needs, not only ours.

"We’re offering a city ready to go. We’re offering a Games with no incremental costs. We’re offering a lasting definition of Olympic sustainability. LA 2024 is not about money, or ego, or American pride, or even winning or losing. It is about serving the Olympic Movement far beyond 2024 by partnering with you to create a new Games for a new era."

IOC Member and United States Olympic Committee Chairman Larry Probst underlined the US’ enduring commitment to the Olympic Movement:

"Every year, the United States opens the doors of our Olympic Training Centers to more than 50% of the NOCs for athlete and coaching exchange programs. In the lead up to the Rio games, over 1,000 Olympians from 107 NOCs trained at universities in the United States. These athletes won 58 medals in 18 sports for their home countries.

"This is our third attempt to host the Games in the past twelve years. Not only is this the most remarkable US bid we have ever put forward, I believe it is the bid that will provide maximum benefit to the Olympic Movement at this most critical time."

Four-time Olympic Champion, LA 2024 Vice Chair and Director of Athlete Relations Janet Evans highlighted how its wealth of existing world-class facilities would enable Los Angeles to host the most sustainable Games ever:

"LA possesses a huge array of existing, modern sports facilities – it would be irresponsible not to use them. The Evaluation Commission called our venues "mind blowing" – and they are."

"We are trying to prove that hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games doesn’t require massive construction programs and expenditures. We could have built a new Olympic Village, but we didn’t. We could have built a new Media Village, but we didn’t. We could have built an array of other new venues, but we didn’t. We set out to build the best 2024 Games Concept for our city, for the athletes, for the Olympic and Paralympic Movements and for the future."

LA 2024 CEO Gene Sykes focused on LA 2024’s low-risk budget and private enterprise model:

"In the United States, we’ve always organized the Olympic Games on a private enterprise model, not a government based model. Our private model means less risk for us and less risk for the entire Movement because our OCOG will be independent.

"Our budget is low-risk for the following three reasons: one, LA is already investing billions of dollars in sport and transport infrastructure regardless of the Games; two, LA has no new permanent venues to build; and three, LA already has an exceptional Olympic & Paralympic Village – in operation today."

LA 2024 Sports Director Doug Arnot provided highlights of the bid’s transport strategy:

"In LA, we can use the city’s massive road network and modern transport infrastructure to deliver a highly effective and reliable Games transport plan. Our entire Olympic Route Network is comprised of dedicated Games Lanes. This means that the majority of Games Transport can travel safely and consistently at 100kph.

"As a result, 86% of Olympians and 99% of Paralympians will be within 30 minutes of their competition venues. 83% of spectators will take public transport directly to their venues, and the remaining 17% will complete their journeys on shuttles. And, all accredited persons will travel for free."

IOC Executive Board Member, IOC Athletes’ Commission Chair and LA 2024 Chief Strategy Officer Angela Ruggiero emphasized some key features of the bid’s offering to athletes:

"LA 2024 offers […] an existing Olympic and Paralympic Village on the campus of UCLA – and it is amazing. But an existing Village isn’t our only innovation for athletes. We’ve put aside a $50 million-dollar line item in our budget to support several new athlete programs.

"We believe that these programs for athletes, combined with our existing Village, showcase LA’s commitment to the Movement’s future in a way that the Evaluation Commission described as "forward-looking, innovative and cool"."

Nine-time Paralympian, LA 2024 Vice Chair and Director of Paralympic and Disability Engagement Candace Cable illustrated how California’s world-leading accessibility standards are reflected in LA 2024’s Paralympic Games planning:

"Our vision for the 2024 Paralympic Games can be summarized in three words: equality of experience. We’re creating a personalized athlete experience for every participant in the Games based on the input we received from Paralympians and Olympians in our athlete forums. This means we’re tailoring the experience for people like me across everything, from the beautiful Village to our dynamic Sports Parks, to the all-inclusive Olympic and Paralympic management team, ensuring that everyone’s needs are met."

Four-time Olympic champion and LA 2024 Athletes’ Advisory Commission Member Allyson Felix gave the IOC Members an insight in LA’s motivation for bidding for the Games:

"We are in the race for 2024 because we believe in you, and, we believe in the power of sport to change the world. But the only way to do that is one person, one city and one nation at a time. LA 2024 is ready; we want to be your partners to follow the sun into the future. All we need is the chance."

Finally, Mayor Eric Garcetti closed the presentation with a summary of LA 2024’s offer to the Olympic Movement:

"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.

"Just as the Greeks used the sun to light the flame, we want to use the sunlight of our creativity to illuminate the future of your great Games.

"We are a city of storytellers at a time when the Olympic story needs to be re-told to a new generation of young people. We are a city of dreamers at a time when the Olympic dream needs a new set of wings to soar into the future. And we’re a city in love with the Olympic ideals because we live their legacy, every day.

"The Olympic optimists of LA have fully embraced the promise of 2024—and we're ready to fully embrace and empower your Movement once again."

Below are the prepared remarks for LA 2024’s presentation:

LA 2024 Candidate City Presentation

July 11, 2017

1) Anita DeFrantz

President Bach, dear colleagues, members of the Evaluation Commission, members of the International Federations – dear friends.

Good morning.

Over time, you and I have had the opportunity to review many Olympic bids. It’s one of the most important responsibilities we have as IOC members.

I am very proud of LA 2024 and what it brings for athletes, spectators, the Olympic Movement, and especially to you as leaders.

The good news is you know us. We've been partners before, and to be frank, that relationship worked out very well – for both of us.

Over the next few minutes you will learn more about our proposal from our team, some of whom were introduced to the Olympic Movement as kids at the LA84 Games.

It is my pleasure to introduce you to once such person whom I’ve known for over three decades, the leader of the LA 2024 bid, Mr. Casey Wasserman. 

2) Casey Wasserman

Thank you, Anita

President Bach, distinguished members of the IOC, Evaluation Commission members, and members of the International Federations of Summer Sport.

Good morning. It’s a privilege to be here with all of you today.

Before we begin, I’d like to acknowledge and thank every Olympian and Paralympian present.

You’re the real reason all of us are here because you literally give life to the Games.

And - you make the Olympic ideal … a reality.

So thank you.

When I was ten years old, I attended the 1984 LA Games with my grandfather. I remember him telling me the most remarkable thing; he said, "the Olympic Games aren’t just in the sports business; the Olympic Games are in the magic business..."

And he was right … you are in the "magic business".

Interestingly enough, so is Los Angeles.

And to prove it, here I am 33 years later representing LA’s candidacy for the 2024 Games. As we say in Hollywood, you couldn't script that if you tried.

When we began this journey, our goal was to start a positive conversation about the future of the Olympic Movement at a time when optimism seemed in short supply.

That’s why it’s so ironic that LA is one of the two remaining cities in the 2024 campaign. We’re here today because the people of Boston said "no".

Ladies and gentlemen, LA has never said "no" to the Olympic Movement – almost 80% of us want the Games back in 2024.

From the beginning, we approached this bid in a manner that is different from our competitors. As we’ve said time and time again, we don’t believe this decision is only about us, or Paris, or the year 2024.

This decision is about the future direction of the Olympic Movement. And as Californians, we see that as an opportunity.

Our objective is to best serve your needs, not only ours. That’s why we’ve never given you an ultimatum about 2024. We don’t believe in ultimatums – we believe in partnership. And surely today, partnership is something worth striving for.

So, we all agree that it’s time for a change; that’s why Olympic Agenda 2020 is the right strategy at the right time.

And that’s where LA comes in.

We can help you redefine "sustainability" because we don’t have to build a single new permanent venue; not even an Olympic Village or a Media Village.

We can help you redefine Olympic Legacy because we have four sport parks all around LA harnessing our existing venues for the entire city.

We can help you create a period of optimism and excitement. For seven years, together we can focus on what’s best for the Games instead of issues such as construction, budget problems, or declining public opinion.

And finally, LA is home to the most creative entertainment and technology minds on the planet. We create the stories that the world loves to enjoy, and the technology it uses to share them.

Like everything in life, innovation is key to survival; the Olympic Movement is no different.

When we talk about innovation we're not talking about flying cars or the latest in computer technology. The technology of 2024 will be what it will be.

When we talk about innovation we're taking about our mindset; about something far more fundamental and powerful for the Movement than just the latest hardware and software.

And, our innovation is something you haven't seen in a very long time.

We're offering you a city ready to go.

We're offering a Games with no incremental costs.

We’re offering you a lasting definition of Olympic sustainability.

And it's not just idle talk to get your votes. It's real – and we're real.

LA 2024 isn’t about money, or ego, or American pride, or even winning or losing – it’s about something much deeper:

It is about serving the Olympic Movement far beyond 2024 by partnering with you to create a new Games for a new Era.

Thank you very much, and please welcome the Chairman of the USOC, Mr. Larry Probst.

3) Larry Probst

Thank you, Casey.

President Bach, distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen.

Good morning.

On behalf of the United States Olympic Committee, it’s an honor to be here in the Olympic capital to share LA’s plan for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

It is a pleasure to see so many familiar faces and friends – and, I will admit, it’s humbling and a bit intimidating to be on stage instead of sitting in the audience with the rest of the membership

But, as I am sure many of you would agree, being part of a bid is an entirely different experience than actually judging one.

IOC members must look beyond things such as the stadia, hotels, transport plans and budgets to truly understand a bid, and what unique benefits it can bring to the Olympic Movement.

The Games have been used as a catalyst for economic growth, urban renewal, and even for national branding and image building.

These are important issues for a city’s domestic audience. But the challenge for IOC members is to determine how these local objectives link to sport, and how do they add value to the Movement at large?

The United States of America, like most of the world, is undergoing significant change at a pace we never imagined possible.

And the Olympic Games, as we all know, are not and have never been immune to geopolitics.

As IOC members, we strive to separate politics and sport in our decisions. I know this is difficult, especially today – it is difficult for me as well. But it is our duty to try our best.

Our goal in this campaign is to be judged on the merits of our plan, and our history of supporting the Olympic Movement and athletes around the world.

Every year, the United States opens the doors of our Olympic Training Centers to more than 50% of the NOC’s for athlete and coaching exchange programs. That impacts over 2,500 people a year. And we will expand this program in the future, so that more of your athletes can be successful in Tokyo three years from now.

In the lead up to the Rio games, over 1,000 Olympians from 107 NOCs trained at universities in the United States. These athletes won 58 medals in 18 sports for their home countries.

Let me put that another way: our university system in the United States actually trains your athletes to compete – and win - against American athletes.

Dear colleagues, that isn’t putting America first, that’s putting the Movement first.

This is our third attempt to host the Games in the past twelve years. Not only is this the most remarkable US bid we have ever put forward, I believe it is the bid that will provide maximum benefit to the Olympic Movement at this most critical time.

We did our homework. We have listened to your advice and counsel. And we learned some hard but valuable lessons along the way.

We hope and believe that now is the time for LA 2024.

Thank you, dear colleagues, and now please welcome an Olympic legend, Ms. Janet Evans.

4) Janet Evans

Thank you, Larry and good morning everyone.

I come from a place called Southern California, more specifically, Los Angeles. Like everyone, I’m proud of my hometown. It’s where I grew up, it’s where I learned how to swim and, it’s where I learned how to be an Olympian.

Southern California is also home to over 1,000 Olympians and Paralympians from around the world. They choose to live and train in LA because of our city’s commitment to sport – and, I admit, probably because of our great weather, as well.

Athletes matter to our city and to our bid. That’s why LA 2024’s Games Concept reflects the input of over 4,000 global Olympians and Paralympians.

Our plan is designed to do two things: first, prove that Olympic Agenda 2020 can work, and second, to help redefine Olympic sustainability.

To achieve our goal, our plan had to minimize the Games’ financial and execution risk for both our city and the Movement; and find a way to harness the convergence of technology, creativity and entertainment in LA.

LA possesses a huge array of existing, modern sports facilities – it would be irresponsible not to use them. It’s important to stress that LA’s venues host over 12 million spectators a year serving 11 professional and 10 university sports teams. The Evaluation Commission called our venues "mind blowing" – and they are.

All of you are familiar with the traditional Olympic Park at a Summer Games. Well, we evolved the Olympic Park to create a new concept with four Sport Parks around our city.

This 4-Park concept has many benefits for the Olympic and Paralympic family. Each Sport Park will have

• Multiple Venues so that more sports are located together,

• A Common Domain for more Sports Activation and Hospitality Zones,

• Increased spectator attendance, more ticketing revenue, and secure perimeters

•

All sports park boundaries will be retained for the Paralympics.

Our plan also features 8 stand-alone venues including Beach Volleyball on Santa Monica Beach, and the new $3 billion-dollar NFL stadium that will be delivered at zero cost to LA2024.

We are trying to prove that hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games doesn’t require massive construction programs and expenditures.

We could have built a new Olympic Village, but we didn’t.

We could have built a new Media Village, but we didn’t.

We could have built an array of other new venues, but we didn’t.

We set out to build the best 2024 Games Concept for our city, for the athletes, for the Olympic and Paralympic Movements and for the future.

We believe we’ve accomplished that, and we hope you do too.

Thank you all, for everything you do to make dreams come true for athletes around the world. Now, let’s look at the LA 2024 Games Concept.

5) Gene Sykes

President Bach, honored IOC members, Evaluation Commission members, ladies and gentlemen.

Good morning, I’m Gene Sykes, Chief Executive Officer of LA 2024.

I’ve had the sincere pleasure of meeting with many of you over the past two years. I’ve learned a lot, and it’s been a fascinating exercise to apply my experience as a banker to the challenge of planning for an Olympic and Paralympic Games.

For background, I asked my fellow Goldman Sachs colleague, Paul Deighton, about his experience as the CEO of London 2012. His advice was simple; he said: "make sure you take care of the athletes first… then make sure you take in more money than you spend!"

And that is exactly what we intend to do.

Before we review our budget, it’s important to share with you why the structure of a US Games is so different from Games in other countries.

In the United States, we’ve always organized the Olympic Games on a private enterprise model, not a government based model. This has proven quite successful across the four Summer and four Winter Games hosted in the US since 1904.

Our private model means less risk for us and less risk for the entire Movement because our OCOG will be independent.

To be clear, just as in past US Games, the US Federal government will provide extensive support in areas such as security.

Now – let’s talk about our budget.

Our budget is low-risk for the following three reasons:

• One, LA is already investing billions of dollars in sport and transport infrastructure regardless of the Games;

• Two, LA has no new permanent venues to build

• And three, LA already has an exceptional Olympic & Paralympic Village – in operation today.

These factors led to our 5.3 billion-dollar balanced budget, which has been independently validated by the global accounting firm, KPMG.

Let’s look at our revenue projections. After the IOC’s 1.1-billion-dollar net contribution, we will generate revenue of a little over 4 billion dollars.

The breakdown is as follows:

About 2 billion dollars from domestic sponsorship and activation

1.5 billion dollars in ticketing

And the remaining 700 million dollars are derived from licensing and other forms of revenue.

That’s a lot of money, but we are confident that the US market can support it.

In 2016, the North American Sports Market was worth an estimated 67 billion dollars and it’s growing at 4% per year.

Now let’s look at our major expense items.

The three largest expenditures are:

Venues and Infrastructure at 1.2 billion dollars.

Sports, Games Services, and Operations account for almost a billion dollars.

"Other Expenses" at 760 million dollars include costs such as IOC royalties and our Athlete Innovation Fund.

The remaining expenditure line items include Technology, People Management, Ceremonies and Culture, Marketing and Communications and Corporate Administration.

Lastly, our total budget contingency stands at almost five hundred million dollars.

Ladies and gentlemen, we know the Games aren’t only about money.

The Olympic and Paralympic Games are about helping young people around the world aspire to better lives, and to be better citizens by participating in and celebrating the values inherent in sport.

That is the true goal of our LA 2024 plan; and, it’s how together, we can follow the sun into the future.

Thank you for your attention and please welcome Mr. Doug Arnot to the podium.

6) Doug Arnot

Thanks Gene.

Good morning everyone.

Today I have the pleasure of sharing our plans for transport, accommodations and security.

Let me start by stating the obvious: Traffic is a challenge in major cities all around the world … and LA is no different.

But there is a huge difference between daily traffic congestion and an Olympic & Paralympic Games Transport plan.

In LA, we can use the city’s massive road network and modern transport infrastructure to deliver a highly effective and reliable Games transport plan.

Our plan has three primary goals:

• To efficiently move key Games Stakeholders to and from venues,

• To provide a positive experience for spectators and workforce, and

• To keep LA moving.

Our entire Olympic Route Network is comprised of dedicated Games Lanes. This means that the majority of Games Transport can travel safely and consistently at 100 KPH.

As a result, 86% of Olympians and 99% of Paralympians will be within 30 minutes of their competition venues, as verified by the Evaluation Commission with no police escorts, no aides … and on time.

83% of spectators will take public transport directly to their venues ... and the remaining 17% will complete their journeys on shuttles.

And, all accredited persons will travel for free.

We have also identified some planning improvements that will make a big difference to your transport experience:

• We will have contracted drivers, not volunteers

• We budgeted 10 times more driver training than London

• Transport for Athletes, T1 and T2 are bubble to bubble

• Our public Transport is 100% accessible

The LA 2024 transport plan was designed hand-in-hand with our accommodation strategy for each Games stakeholder.

This means:

• The majority of Technical officials will be within walking distance of their venues;

• The media can walk from the Media village to the MPC and transport mall; and

• Additional Officials, also based in the Media Village, will have easy access to the Games transport system.

The location of the proposed IOC and IPC hotels—at LA Live, will provide an incredible experience at the heart of the Games ... putting you within walking distance of 16 sports with short travel times to all other venues.

We have guaranteed over 42,000 rooms for the Olympic Family with 17,000 rooms for the media and broadcasters.

A further 80,000 rooms will be available for spectators and workforce across all price levels and areas of the city.

By aligning our accommodation and transport plans, we can assure you that you’ll enjoy both the Games and the city.

Finally, let me address security: As the Evaluation Commission noted, LA 2024 has gained the full support and cooperation of federal, regional and local forces in securing the Games. We will provide security which will be SAFE, but not imposing.

The Federal Government has guaranteed that the Games will be a National Special Security Event. This designation will provide all additional resources needed to secure the Games.

Our Los Angeles and Federal security teams are committed to an approach that respects the Games and the broader mission of the IOC ... in a safe secure environment.

Thank you, and now please welcome IOC member Angela Ruggiero.

7) Angela Ruggiero

Thank you, Doug.

President Bach, Dear IOC colleagues, Evaluation Commission members, International Federations, fellow Athlete Commission Members and Olympians. Dear friends…

It is an absolute pleasure being here in Lausanne with all of you.

Working alongside you to help deliver the IOC’s mission to the world is one of the greatest honors of my life.

When I look around this room I see something more than IOC members, I see faces of friends; friends who not only inspire me every day, but also work tirelessly to inspire the world.

I am very proud to be your colleague, especially today, as we consider the future of our Movement.

My Olympic dreams started in LA when I was 7 years old. Many of you may not think of Southern California as a hotbed for ice hockey, but we actually have two professional NHL teams there.

That is a great example of a city in love with sport, and it offers children virtually limitless opportunities to pursue their sports passions and to create their own futures.

Today, the IOC has the opportunity to create its own future by embracing Olympic Agenda 2020, to take the Games into a new era. As president Bach said, this is truly a "golden opportunity" for the Olympic Movement.

As Chair of the Athlete’s Commission, when I look at a bid city’s plans, the most important element is how well does the plan put athletes at the heart of the Games.

The Athletes’ Village is one of the most important aspects because it’s the athletes’ home. However, as we all know, the delivery of an Olympic and Paralympic Village is one of the most challenging aspects of an Organizing Committee.

Well … we have some very good news for you.

LA 2024 offers you an existing Olympic and Paralympic Village on the campus of UCLA – and it’s amazing.

But don’t take my word for it; here is what the Evaluation Commission had to say about it:

"the proposed Olympic Village is outstanding in all aspects, from exceptional accommodation and high-quality training and athletic facilities, to award-winning food, an experienced workforce and a beautiful setting. Nothing short of the best for the best athletes of the world."

We couldn’t have said it any better ourselves…

But an existing Village isn’t our only innovation for athletes. We’ve put aside a $50 million-dollar line item in our budget to support several new athlete programs.

LA 2024 will offer a first-of-its-kind Friends and Family program. Athletes can share their experience with the most important people in their lives, with a partially subsidized Friends and Family Village.

We will offer all athletes two FREE tickets to EACH of their competitions. You heard that right – two free tickets to each of their competitions.

We will also offer athletes a fixed amount of Games merchandise, at-cost. This seems like a little thing, and it is, but it means a lot to a 20-year-old kid at his or her first Games.

We believe that these programs for athletes, and many more, combined with our existing village, showcase LA’s commitment to the Movement’s future in a way that the Evaluation Commission described as "forward-looking, innovative and cool" – again, those are your words, not ours – but we wholeheartedly agree!

And for those of you who haven’t had an opportunity to visit our village, here it is for you to see with your own eyes. 

8) Candace Cable

Good morning everyone. I’m Candace Cable, Vice Chair and Director of Paralympic and Disability Engagement for LA 2024.

I’m very proud to present to you today because I’m representing the city of my birth—and the place of my rebirth after a spinal cord injury in 1975.

In 1984 Los Angeles gave me the great honor to compete in the Olympic Games because the IOC and LA84 recognized the value of Paralympic sport.

Our vision for the 2024 Paralympic Games can be summarized in-three-words: equality of experience.

We’re creating a personalized athlete experience for every participant in the Games based on the input we received from Paralympians and Olympians in our athlete forums. This means we’re tailoring the experience for people like me across everything, from the beautiful Village to our dynamic Sports Parks, to the all-inclusive Olympic and Paralympic management team, ensuring that everyone’s needs are met, and that makes me really happy.

As a 9 x Paralympian, who uses a wheelchair for mobility I’ve travelled and competed all over the world and I’ve experienced numerous accessibility challenges.

Let me emphasize that all the of the venues in our plan are proven for accessibility, and our public transportation network is one of the few in the world that is already 100% accessible. This is a reflection of California’s high accessibility standards, which are among the strongest in the world.

Uniquely, our plan offers the Paralympic Movement maximum exposure because we will host the Paralympic Games in August, which is prime time for creating new levels of commercial marketing opportunities ... and new connections between the Paralympic Movement and the next generation ... giving them hope and confidence.

Thank you very much. Now please welcome six-time Olympic Champion and hometown hero Allyson Felix.

9) Allyson Felix

President Bach, dear IOC members, Evaluation Commission, International Federations of Summer Sport, fellow Olympians.

Good morning, and I bring you warm greetings from my hometown, Los Angeles, California.

I’ve competed at four Olympic Games, and although many of you have watched me on my field of play, this is the first time I get to see you on your field of play here in Lausanne…and I must say, you all look pretty good out there - keep up the hard work!

This is my first chance to address the entire IOC and Summer IF membership at once.

So, let me begin by saying "thank you" from the bottom of my heart.

I know that all of you IOC members are volunteers.

And, I know that you don't often receive the credit you deserve to keep this beautiful Movement alive.

But, what you do every day makes what I do, possible. So, thank you, again.

Now, I’d like to change the subject a bit and talk to you about something that is probably on a lot of your minds.

I want to talk about my country, the United States of America.

In many respects, America is an experiment, still unfolding.

Watching something form and mature can be refreshing and beautiful, but, sometimes it’s also awkward or difficult.

To me, it’s important to always take the long view – because short-term views can lead to misunderstandings, and can even cause old friends, like us, to doubt each other.

There is a quote that inspires me every day, and I want to share it with you. It’s a quote by one of my heroes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – it’s about hope, but it’s also about taking the long view. He said:

"We must accept finite disappointment … but never lose infinite hope."

I believe that "infinite hope" is what truly defines us as human beings. And, I’ve come to learn that the Olympic Games gives the world hope, and that is perhaps … its greatest gift.

There are as many Americas as there are Americans. All I can do is tell you about the America that I know and love.

First, America isn’t perfect; no country is. But in LA, we always strive to be better tomorrow than we were yesterday.

Second, a nation is not just a political construct; a nation is a family of people.

Many of you have friends or family that live in America, or visit there often. And some of you, or your children, even attended school there. That’s not because of our government, it’s because of our people.

America is extraordinarily diverse. There is no such thing as a typical American.

Look at me. My heritage is African. And my ancestors’ path to my country was one of bondage, not one of freedom.

But out of that painful past, our nation grew, it adapted, and it changed for the better - and it will again. I believe that with all my heart, or I would not be here today supporting our bid.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are in the race for 2024 because we believe in you, and, we believe in the power of sport to change the world.

But the only way to do that is one person, one city and one nation at a time. LA 2024 is ready; we want to be your partners to follow the sun into the future. All we need is the chance.

Thank you, and now please welcome my favorite mayor, Mr. Eric Garcetti to close our presentation.

10) Mayor Eric Garcetti

President Bach, Honored IOC members, members of the 2024 Evaluation Commission and International Federations of Summer Sport. Dear friends…

This is an emotional moment for me. On my first day of office as Mayor, I wrote a letter to the USOC, declaring my dream to bring the Games back to LA.

So, being here today is one step closer to that dream.

Over the past two years you’ve taken us into your family. You’ve given us your time, your experience, and more often than not, your patience.

That spirit of generosity is not lost on us. We are deeply humbled and grateful to be on this journey with you.

This experience has taught me several lessons.

I’ve learned that the Olympic family is the single greatest example of how humanity can, if it wants to, work together to achieve something magnificent.

I’ve learned that the Olympic Movement is a powerful, values-driven force that can be harnessed for the good of our planet.

And, I’ve learned that the Olympic Games, although seemingly eternal, are in fact fragile and deserve our greatest attention and respect.

I say "fragile" because in reality, all of us in the Olympic Movement serve an ideal.

But as human beings, we cannot always be ideal.

That’s the paradox of the Olympic Games, isn’t it? Often, Olympism demands more of us than we think we can give, or we are prepared to.

Today, we are enduring an unprecedented level of global cynicism. Critics today are challenging everything, including the Olympic Games.

What they don’t understand is that the Olympic Movement’s optimistic message is needed now, more than ever.

I just arrived here from Berlin, where I stood in the square where one of our greatest presidents, John F Kennedy, gave his famous "I am a Berliner" speech … to a bitterly divided world.

President Kennedy was the embodiment of our nation’s belief in the future, and he had this to say about pessimists:

"The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were and ask "why not?"

He could have easily been talking about the Olympic Movement today, because the work you do is truly ageless; as ancient as Olympia itself.

This is an important time for our Olympic Movement; a time that requires new thinking, new ideas and new solutions.

LA 2024 is in a unique position to respond to these risks, because ...

First, we’re a young city, full of fresh, new ideas.

Second, we’re not focused on the last 100 years, we are focused 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.

Just as the Greeks used the sun to light the flame, we want to use the sunlight of our creativity to illuminate the future of your great Games.

We are a city of storytellers at a time when the Olympic story needs to be re-told to a new generation of young people.

We are a city of dreamers at a time when the Olympic dream needs a new set of wings to soar into the future.

And we’re a city in love with the Olympic ideals because we live their legacy, every day.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your trust in us and for allowing us to participate in this incredible journey of discovery.

The Olympic optimists of LA have fully embraced the promise of 2024—and we're ready to fully embrace and empower your movement once again.

So please accept our invitation to follow the sun, follow your hearts and follow your dreams to LA in 2024 – you are all welcome there.

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