Lausanne First Stop for Los Angeles Olympic Bid -- On the Scene

(ATR) Just hours after the Los Angeles City Council unanimously backed a bid for the 2024 Olympics, Around the Rings understands that bid leaders from Los Angeles and the US Olympic Committee are on the way to Switzerland for their first meetings with the IOC.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and 2024 chair Casey Wasserman will meet IOC president Thomas Bach on Thursday. Also traveling are USOC chair and IOC member Larry Probst and USOC CEO Scott Blackmun.

The trip to Lausanne is all part of a new phase of the Olympic bidding process that allows potential bidders to meet with IOC staff and the IOC president to discuss plans for the Olympics in their city. For Los Angeles the visit will come just a few days before the September 15 closing date for applications and the end of this so-called invitation phase of the bid process.

It's is the same visit Boston bid leaders made in May when the city was still limping along as the US bid for 2024. That all changed in late July when the USOC and Boston parted ways.

In the aftermath of theBostondemise, Los Angeles quickly stepped forward to express its confidence in the ability to put together a bid in time for next week’s IOC deadline. Brought back to life were plans presented to the USOC last year when Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, DC were the other candidates under consideration along with Boston.

Los Angeles made it official Tuesday that the city is ready to launch a bid to bring the Games back to the city for a third time.

At a press conference on Santa Monica beach, USOC and Los Angeles city leaders announced L.A.’s candidacy for the 2024 Olympic Games.

"Today we are launching our bid for the Games with a clear vision and a clear mission – a vision to serve and to strengthen the worldwide Olympic Movement because it offers hope and promise for those around the world," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

The conference followed a unanimous vote by L.A. city council members to support an Olympic bid Tuesday morning.

Renowned broadcaster Al Michaels served as the emcee of the conference and introduced USOC chief executive officer Scott Blackmun, Mayor Garcetti, City Council president Herb Wesson, L.A. 2024 bid leader Casey Wasserman and Olympian Janet Evans as each explained why Los Angeles would host a spectacular 2024 Olympics.

All speakers called for not only a united city to support the bid, but a united America to bring back the Summer Olympics to U.S. soil for the first time since 1996 when the Games were held in Atlanta.

"I’m proud to partner today with the USOC in a bid to bring the Olympics back to the United States for the Summer Games for the first time in 28 years," Garcetti said.

If successful, L.A. would join London as the only city to host three Olympics.

Outlined in the bid released by Wasserman last week, Los Angeles will rely almost entirely – 85 percent – on existing or already planned venues to host the Games.

"It is important to stress we are not changing the face of our city to fit the Olympic Games. Instead, we are adapting an innovative Olympic Games concept to comfortably fit with what this city is doing already," Garcetti said.

"The IOC wants to partner with a city capable of hosting the Games without burdening the citizens with debt, instead using the Games as a catalyst to further the vision of the city’s future and build a legacy that benefits all citizens. We see a framework for an ideal matchup," USOC chief executive officer Scott Blackmun told reporters.

The Olympic Legacy of the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles can still be felt in the city today. Olympic swimmer Janet Evans did not compete at those Games but watched from the stands. She told the story of Olympian Jessica Hardy who uses the same facility to swim in that the athletes competed in during the ’84 Games.

"The legacy of the 1984 Games with the facilities we built still helps our Olympians today," said Evans.

Los Angeles athletes from the ’84 Games were in attendance at the press conference to show their support for the bid.

Bid leaders hope to expand upon the city’s great Olympic legacy and inspire the next generation of citizens for years to come.

"The Olympic and Paralympic Games in L.A. are not a gamble. With our venues and infrastructure and L.A.’s passion for the games, our bid is affordable, sustainable, exciting and ready to go," Wasserman said.

"Los Angeles will be the ideal stage to host the world’s athletes, to elevate the Olympic Movement and inspire the world," Wasserman he said.

Los Angeles now joins Paris, Rome, Budapest and Hungary as cities expected to enter the two year bidding race that concludes in 2017. City Council president Herb Wesson says the city is in it to win it.

"We are Los Angeles and we are here to compete," Wesson said.

Video of the press conference can be seen here.

Written in Los Angeles by Kevin Nutley

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