IOC President: Everything is Possible for 2024 and 2028

(ATR) Thomas Bach sends a signal that a deal for the 2024 and 2028 Olympics is in the works.

"In life everything is possible," said the IOC president at a press conference in San Marino, doing little to dissuade the notion that the IOC is poised to shatter precedent by selecting Paris and Los Angeles to host the 2024 and 2028 Summer Games in one vote this September..

"We are in an excellent position with regard to the edition of 2024 but as the Olympic movement we should strive to improve this experience in future years," said Bach.

Ordinarily, the IOC would select the 2024 host at its Session in Lima, Peru, in September. The 2028 vote would follow four years later in 2021.

But after a troubled bidding process for 2024 that was fraught with cities dropping out, Bach realized things were broken. When the contest came down to Paris and Los Angeles earlier this year, Bach called for solutions.

Behind the scenes he launched the idea of selecting one of those cities for 2024 and the other for 2028. With two excellent bids, Bach wanted to avoid rejecting either, subjecting the loser to launch yet another bid if interested for 2028. Bach formed a working group of the four IOC vice presidents who will report to the Executive Board June 9 on a proposal to make this big change.

"We are exploring how to improve this opportunity. We are studying this situation and we will find how to create a successful situation in the future," he said.

Sources tell Around the Rings that the IOC proposal will likely call for one ballot to be distributed to the members in Lima. On that single page members would be asked to ratify one city for 2024 and a second city for 2028.

The IOC could go as far as to indicate a preference between the two cities. A report in the Wall Street Journal says Paris is favored for 2024 and LA for 2028. The reasons cited range from the availability of funding for Paris to the certainty thatDonald Trump will not be US president in 2028, making Los Angeles more attractive that year.

Negotiations are believed to have already taken place between the IOC and the two bid cities, with more talks still ahead.

Neither city appears to have any major faults that are a concern to the IOC. The Evaluation Commission that visited the two cities earlier this month is meeting in Lausanne this week to draft its report. Assuming no flaws, the findings of the commission will be another green light for the IOC to move forward with a two-city recommendation.

The decision of the Executive Board will need the approval of the full IOC, which could happen in July. Members will meet in Lausanne for two days to hear the cities present the technical aspects of the bids. A month later the IOC will meet again in Lima to cast a vote.

Depending on what the IOC leadership decides regarding the ballot for 2024, there could be little suspense when the vote is cast September 13 in Lima.

Both Los Angeles and Paris have pointedly said their focus remains on the 2024 campaign. On the other hand, neither has rejected the possibility of hosting 2028 if it was offered. Privately leaders from both bids have told ATR that they would not be interested in making a bid for 2028. For Paris, this bid is its fourth since 1985 and for the U.S., the Los Angeles bid is the third since 2005.

Bach was in San Marino for the opening of the Games of the Small States of Europe which will run through the week.

With a room full of Italian journalists Bach was asked about the failure of the Rome bid for 2024. The capital city had to drop out of the race last year when the Mayor refused to support the bid. Bach says he regrets the loss of Rome.

"I am sorry, but it is the story. Many things are in Italian history," he said.

"However, the IOC is happy for the race for the organization of the 2024 Olympics because we have two big cities such as Paris and Los Angeles and two large countries like France and the United States. "I'm sorry for Roma, but now we look at Paris or Los Angeles," said the IOC president.

Written by Ed Hula.