[RAlossi]

I can't find a thread dedicated to the 2016 Olympics, and the search function isn't working either. So here's a new thread for it.

In case you've been hiding under a rock somewhere, the US choice for host to the 2016 Olympics is down to three: Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
----------------------------------


Low Olympics Construction Costs for LA 2016
Posted: Saturday, September 23, 2006
Using the Coliseum as the main stadium for the Los Angeles bid is a major cost-savings.
(ATR) The head of the Los Angeles bid for the 2016 Olympics says changes to its plans for the Games means a small construction budget will get even smaller.

LA 2016 chairman Barry Sanders tells Around the Rings that the questionnaire submitted Sept. 22 to the U.S. Olympic Committee calls for a single venue to serve as the Main Press Center and International Broadcast Center.

"That should put our construction budget below $150 million," says Sanders.

As with the two other rivals for the U.S. 2016 nomination, Los Angeles has revealed only a smattering of the bid questionnaire. The USOC has not said whether the cities can release the document publicly and bid leaders say they will keep the bulk of their responses under wraps until told otherwise.

Sanders says Los Angeles is able to present a low construction budget is a direct result of the large number of existing venues which are part of its plan to host a third Olympics.

Two of the big ticket items that are in place are the Olympic Village, which would at USC or UCLA and the Coliseum, used for ceremonies and athletics in 1932 and 1984.

"This is the first stadium that we can say has been used three times for the Olympics," Sanders says.

"We offer them the most traditional, iconic stadium this side of Greece. At the same time we offer new venues for virtually everything else," he says.

"No more than five, and perhaps by the time we're finished, fewer than five of the 28 sports will be in the same place they were in in '84," he says.

"Frankly it's amazing to consider the places were not even using and still we're able to get the Games into new and existing venues. We will not use Dodger Stadium. Nothing is planned for the sports arena next to the Coliseum. We're not proposing using the swimming venue from '84 at USC [University of Southern California].

Sanders says that while the city's unsuccessful bid for the 2012 Games will serve as a template for 2016, Los Angeles is proposing to use new venues that did not exist four years ago, such as the Galen Center at USC for boxing and the under-construction Nokia Theater in downtown LA for weightlifting.

"All the venue choices are preliminary and subject change," says Sanders.

"Some things that are not even announced yet that might get used for the Games," he says.

Sanders says there are two main clusters of venues, one in Los Angeles, the second in Long Beach, about 25 miles away.

Outside of the preliminary soccer venues, the furthest venue from the center of
Architect Barry Sanders leads the Los Angeles 2016 bid. (ATR)
the Games will be in southern Orange County where the eventing discipline of equestrian will be held. While that's 90 miles from Los Angeles, Sanders notes the three-day event in 1984 was held even further away in San Diego.

For the Olympic Village, Sanders says the choice is up to the USOC: either the the residence suites at UCLA or USC will be available to use.

He says both accommodation centers are "better than you can get with a newly built village" as they are designed for permanent student housing and not for resale as private housing post-Games.

Saying that there is an "arms race" between the universities to create better quality housing, Sanders says "these places are up and going, beautifully landscaped, with the finest possible electronics backbone."

Whichever accommodations are not chosen as the Olympic Village will end up as an Olympic family village, says Sanders.

The village will provide a quality, low-cost housing option for media, federations and others who are credentialed for the Olympics.

Sanders says the Los Angeles proposal for 2016 includes two gathering places for Olympic crowds, one for daytime use, the other for night time medals presentations.

For the day, proposed is a new park between city hall and the Walt Disney Theater in downtown Los Angeles. The site will be enclosed for security control with free, but ticketed admission.

The night time gathering place is the new LA Live development in downtown Los Angeles that includes the Nokia Theater. Built as an entertainment destination, the new development will also include the IOC hotel, which will be a 54-story hotel combining a Ritz Carlton and Marriott in a single property. The Anschutz Entertainment Group is responsible for the development.

Sanders says one major difference between the 1984 Olympics and the proposal for 2016 is a significant investment since then in public transit.

"We have abut 550 miles of commuter rail in this town now, lines that go by the bulk of these venues. In '84 we had zero," he says.

Experts from the USOC will be evaluating the Los Angeles proposal in the coming weeks, along with the questionnaires received from Chicago and San Francisco.

Meetings between the experts and the cities will follow that will lead to further refinements of the plans. In early 2007, the cities will submit the most detailed versions of their 2016 Olympic plans in a domestic bid book.

[dimondpark]

there are already Chi and SF threads in the City Discussions. I guess this is the LA thread!

[jessie_sanchez]

The fact that LA has hosted twice will hurt it's chances of hosting again.

It just so practical to have LA host, but I also see why it would upset some people.

[DJM19]

Yeah, I think LA would be a shoe-in if it were not for the 2 other times its hosted. But in LA's defense, the only reason it hosted the 1984 games was because its the only city that wanted to. It saved the Olympics and because it did so well, it turned the tide of the games entirely. The IOC owes a lot to Los Angeles.

[dimondpark]

Tons of people in the other threads bemoan LA hosting the olympics for a 3rd time, but London hosting it for a third time in 2012 gets nary a second thought.

Apparently LA is good enough that it might be worth a third time-naysayers need to get over it.

[FourOneFive]

LA's bid appears to be the most stable and least risky bid out of the 3 cities bidding. If LA does get the USOC nomination, I wouldn't be suprised.

[DJM19]

All I know is I wont accept "LA didnt get it cuz it had it twice before" as the reason. If London can have it three times, LA can (especially since as I said, one of LA's was just a default win...it shouldnt even count IMO)

[ocman]

$150 million is a huge bargain for the Olympics committee. I wouldn't be shocked if LA was chosen. Other cities can promise to build this and that with billion dollar projects. That's very appealing, but I don't know if the Olympic committee is looking for that anymore. I think they are very much budget-conscious what with the economic failure in Greece.

[SFBoy]

All I know is I wont accept "LA didnt get it cuz it had it twice before" as the reason. If London can have it three times, LA can (especially since as I said, one of LA's was just a default win...it shouldnt even count IMO)
I think it was stupid for London to get it 3 times. Just like it would be stupid to give it to LA 3 times.

[arkiLA]

$150 million is a huge bargain for the Olympics committee. I wouldn't be shocked if LA was chosen. Other cities can promise to build this and that with billion dollar projects. That's very appealing, but I don't know if the Olympic committee is looking for that anymore. I think they are very much budget-conscious what with the economic failure in Greece.
True. I think economics will play a greater role....how cities will pay for the Games. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Montreal, according to past press reports, is still paying for the '76 Games much to the detriment of it's citizens. In other cities, Athens especially, they've pretty much written-off their expenses like bad debts, sacrificing more important civic projects that would have benefitted more people....

[jamison]

Tons of people in the other threads bemoan LA hosting the olympics for a 3rd time, but London hosting it for a third time in 2012 gets nary a second thought.

London's last hosting gig was 1948 though. If LA hadn't hosted since the 60's I don't think this would even come up as an issue, but 1984 is pretty recent.

[citywatch]

One rationalization for LA hosting the Olympics again is that the games of 1984, because of the boycott, were an incomplete version. However, I have a hunch that if Tokyo is one of the contenders for 2010, & even though it hosted the games in 1964, & unless lots & lots of govt (or private) $$$ are poured into the bid from SF or Chicago, it probably will be seen by many members of the IOC as too tough to beat by a US city.

[Wright Concept]

^ 2010?

[bobcat]

Honestly, I don't see LA getting picked for 2016 because 1984 is too recent. The only way I can see it happening is if an agreement is made to funnel some of profits from the games back to the IOC.

[DJM19]

The good thing about LA is that they bid every year, no matter what (thats why we were the only ones in 84). So even if we lose for 2016 we stilll have the next time (well...it will probably take 20 more years after 2016 to consider America)

[bobcat]

Well, another way LA could get it is if there were to be another series of financially disastrous Olympic games like those of the 60's and 70's. In that case the IOC would probably be begging LA to host it again.

[sf_eddo]

Have you guys read anything specific other than the SF 49ers stadium that would make costs astronomically high for the Bay Area bid? From what I understand, the 49ers will privately fund the new stadium. I think all the other venues (Oakland, Stanford, San Jose, Berkeley, etc.) are already in place here as well - they just need a little tinkering. It kind of astounds me how much new development is going into the Chicago bid, but I guess if any place likes to make statements like that, it's Chicago.

And you know, I still kind of wish Paris got the 2012 Games.

[ferneynism2]

Los Angeles 2016!!!!

[Alta California]

Well, another way LA could get it is if there were to be another series of financially disastrous Olympic games like those of the 60's and 70's. In that case the IOC would probably be begging LA to host it again.

The last few Olympics were already financially disastrous for its host cities and countries. Athens, Turin, and Nagano are nursing their hangovers from their Olympic binges. All cities are stuck with costly sports venues that are eating up money when they are not used (e.g., the baseball stadium in Athens). Beijing's $30 billion 'investment' in its infrastructure would probably put the nail on the coffin for Olympic profitability. London's ambitious multi-billion dollar redevelopment of its eastside will become the Montreal of the next century. By 2009, I think we will see the smallest number of bidders for a summer Olympic. I'm betting there's an excellent change that L.A. again will come to the rescue. At 2024, of course, there's going to be a riot.

[ReDSPork02]

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=115411

I Would love to see the games in L.A. but as long as there in America.

[jamison]

Have you guys read anything specific other than the SF 49ers stadium that would make costs astronomically high for the Bay Area bid?

The last story I read was the 49'ers stadium would be privately financed and they've designed it with the Games in mind. For the games they would install a stage 12' above the ground, I'm sure with lots of trap doors to get stuff on and off for the ceremonies.

A new SF State campus in the planning stage will be the media center and then finished up after the games.

Gavin Newsom's been really good with getting support from companies. I wouldn't be surprised to find a lot of the costs will be privately funded.

[FourOneFive]

The last story I read was the 49'ers stadium would be privately financed and they've designed it with the Games in mind. For the games they would install a stage 12' above the ground, I'm sure with lots of trap doors to get stuff on and off for the ceremonies.

A new SF State campus in the planning stage will be the media center and then finished up after the games.

Gavin Newsom's been really good with getting support from companies. I wouldn't be surprised to find a lot of the costs will be privately funded.

i know the business community supports san francisco's bid, but i wish they were a little more visible during the bidding process. the bay area's largest corporations (i.e. HP, Oracle, Google, Wells Fargo, VISA, etc.) should be stepping foward now to show their support for the bid.

[J Church]

A new SF State campus in the planning stage

What's this?

[citywatch]

I have mixed emotions about the value of the Olympics, mainly because many of the recent ones, based on what can be called their symbolic bookends (the opening & closing ceremonies, which are a big factor behind the concern that SF & Chicago need new stadiums) have become so goofy & wacky. If, among other things, organizers of an LA Olympics in 2016 were to screw that up as much as the others have, I'd regard the event as similar to a burst balloon or major hangover.


Spiegel, September 25, 2006

GREEK OLYMPICS TWO YEARS LATER

Looking for a Baseball Stadium in Athens?

Two years after the 2004 Olympic Games, the Greek government is considering tearing down some venues to cut down on hefty maintenance costs. Most of the stadiums are now standing empty. A weekday ride on the Olympic light rail line from the southern Athens suburb of Glyfada to the port city of Piraeus says it all: On the left, a stunning view across the radiant blue water to the island of Aegina with beaches full of retired Athenians sunning themselves in the foreground. On the right? The Helliniko Olympic Complex, complete with a hockey stadium, a baseball center, a softball stadium and a canoe and kayak slalom course. All empty. Not a soul to be seen.

Indeed, two years after the 2004 Olympic Games -- an event which helped unleash a Greek pride still evident in the myriad Olympics T-shirts and hats one sees around the country's capital -- the Greeks are now wondering what to do with their shiny new sporting venues. While the Olympic Stadium hosted the track and field World Cup last week, other stadiums may be torn down.

It is an absurdity "to spend €107 million to build permanent stadiums for softball, baseball and hockey when these facilities have to be maintained for at most 20 athletes," Spyros Kladas, a general secretary in the culture ministry, said recently.

That was just a small part of the total €2.2 billion price tag for Olympics-related construction projects across the country from Thessaloniki in the north to Heraklion on the island of Crete in the south. Now, those facilities are costing the state €55 million per year in maintenance bills -- and many of them are going unused. Stadiums in Patras and Volos, for example, are too expensive for local, second-league soccer clubs to afford. Should such unused venues not be torn down, the government says, they will merely fall apart on their own.

Greece was able to use the Olympics to fuel a 5 percent boost in tourism in 2005, but the country has done little to find alternative uses for Olympic infrastructure. According to a report in August, only three venues out of more than a dozen built for the games have been leased out so far. "The success of the games gave us a reputation boost," George Drakopoulos, general manager of the Union of Greek Tourist Enterprises, said in August. "But we have been late in exploiting this heritage." Kladas has said that the state company charged with post-games management of the facilities only started operations after the games were over. "It should have been created in 1997 alongside the games organizing committee," he said.

Greece's problems prior to the Olympic Games were widely covered -- cost overruns and delays meant some venues not finished until just days before the games began. Massive borrowing financed the construction. Now, it is difficult to imagine what the suburb of Glyfada might do with its baseball center. The rowing course next door is also not likely to be used soon. It was built in a wetlands and is no longer usable due to environmental restrictions.

[jamison]

A new SF State campus in the planning stage

What's this?

I wish I could find that story. It was part of Gavin Newsom's description of how every would still have a purpose after the games. A Bay View campus sounded like it was already a done deal, or at least the propery had already been purchased.

[solongfullerton]

Is it just me, or is Mayor V's huge push coming at an awfully convenient time when LA is also trying to get the olympics?

Political hurdles aside, I wonder what is the quickest the whole route, from Western to Santa Monica (12miles?), could be built. Anyone know?

[DJM19]

It would be nice if we got some better transit out of the olympics, not just...nothing.

[RAlossi]

It would be nice if we got some better transit out of the olympics, not just...nothing.

Definitely. If anything should be built in LA for the Olympics, it should be some heavy transit infrastructure.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

if we can build the Purple Line, the Expo to SM, the Downtown Connector and a LAX Express line along with green to LAX by 2016, imagine all the areas that will be tied together by rail! compare that to 0 rail miles in 1984 and add the 500 plus miles of commuter rail that we have, and bingo, no need for cars for most visitors.

[cookiejarvis]

Too bad the Home Depot Soccer Stadium was built way down in Dominguez Hills. It should have been built at the NoHo Orange/Red Line Terminus.

[Damien]

To adequately serve the venues, we'd simply need to speed up the subway to the sea, give the downtown connector the priority the Crenshaw spur currently enjoys and add a Vermont blvd line that after it hits the Artesia Transit Center then heads east to Avalon a south a mile or two to CSUDH/Home Depot.

Basically, just add one additional rail infrastructure improvement to those already scheduled.

I also wonder why if the Sports Arena isn't going to be razed for the new Coliseum, it would't be used as a venue.

[Damien]

What do you guys think about throwing together a short memo and Olympic map for Mr. Sanders?

[Damien]

Political hurdles aside, I wonder what is the quickest the whole route, from Western to Santa Monica (12miles?), could be built. Anyone know?

If we today, had the EIR worked out, money in the bank and contracts signed, with a tunnel boring maching digging 50 feet a day, less than 4 years.

And it's actually more like 13-14 miles. :-)

[RAlossi]

If we today, had the EIR worked out, money in the bank and contracts signed, with a tunnel boring maching digging 50 feet a day, less than 4 years.

And it's actually more like 13-14 miles. :-)

and 50 feet a day is on the conservative side too.

[bjornson]

2016 Bid Mixes New and Old
L.A.'s plan to bring back Olympics focuses on readiness and clusters of sites, some familiar from 1984 Games as well as more recent additions.
By Lisa Dillman, Times Staff Writer
October 18, 2006

Construction, thy name is Olympics.

Those who remember the last-minute dash in Athens in 2004 and recent visitors to 2008 host city Beijing might think that the five Olympic rings represent cranes, forklifts, hard hats, power tools and nuts and bolts.

That, thankfully, won't be an area of concern should the Summer Olympics land in Los Angeles for a third time, down the road in 2016. A review of proposed venues in the Los Angeles bid for the 2016 Games shows an uncommon degree of readiness, especially in comparison to rivals Chicago and San Francisco, each city vying for the right to represent the U.S. bid.

Local bid officials stress that the preliminary plan is by no means chiseled in stone, subject to change through the multi-step process. Their vision features a tight area of concentration — clusters in Anaheim, Long Beach, Carson and downtown Los Angeles. The Olympic Athletes Village would be at either UCLA or USC.

For the 1984 Olympics, venues ranged from an equestrian event in San Diego County to rowing and canoeing at Lake Casitas in Ventura County, which included temporary housing for those athletes at UC Santa Barbara.

This time, the venues would be confined to Los Angeles and Orange counties, said David Simon, president of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games. The one exception, which is typical for the Olympics, is that early-round soccer would be played in Las Vegas and San Diego. As in 1984, the soccer final would be at the Rose Bowl.

"No more than six of the 28 sports would be staged at the same venue as in 1984," Simon said.

And that's where the balancing act starts for local bid officials. The immense success of the 1984 Games should not be ignored, of course, nor should it loom over the approach for 2016. Simon said the challenge is to show that existing facilities doesn't necessarily mean old facilities.

Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles and the Home Depot Center in Carson weren't even a glint in the eye of mogul Phil Anschutz in 1984, and the same can be said of Anaheim city officials with the Honda Center, formerly known as the Arrowhead Pond.

A number of smaller facilities in the 2016 plan have gone up since the 1984 Olympics — the Bren Center in Irvine, the Pyramid in Long Beach and the Galen Center at USC, to name a few.

The impressive list of new facilities will go a long way in combating the perception that this bid would simply be a repeat of the 1984 formula.

"It's an issue we're going to have to deal with," said Tim Leiweke, the president and chief executive of Anschutz Entertainment Group who is vice chairman of the bid committee. "What we have to convince people that this is not '84, different people leading the bid, completely different facilities. And most of all, we're a completely different community.

"I'm hoping we can showcase for people, that, yes, we hosted it before, which proves we know how to do it. But our strength is the fact that so much of our bid is new and different than anything they saw 30 years ago."

Said Richard Foster, president of United States Aquatic Sports: "It is quite different from 1984. I think that's a manageable thing. That was 22 years ago, and when you project it to 2016, that's a huge amount of time."

Additionally, the existing venues in the area have the built-in advantage of a constant stream of use by local sports teams and yearly tournaments, said Barry Sanders, chairman of the bid committee.

"The venues are built for constant use for professional teams — a quality you may not get at a venue when things were put up in a hurry," Sanders said. "And you don't have a shake-down period. The public knows where to park."

There is familiarity with the proposed swimming venue, even though it is not an existing facility. The U.S. Olympic Swimming trials were held in Long Beach in 2004 when two temporary pools were built for the event in the parking lot of Long Beach Arena.

The 2016 plan would have swimming, water polo and synchronized swimming at the same spot. Simon said that diving was an option for the pool at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach, but the facility would need renovation.

Foster, former president of USA Water Polo, helped bring the swimming trials to Long Beach in 2004, and he is trying to convince Simon to hold the open water swimming events, which will debut during the Beijing Games, at Marine Stadium in Long Beach.

Marine Stadium is proposed to host rowing, which would be a throwback to the 1932 Olympics.

One of Los Angeles' trump cards over the other two bidding cities is the presence of an existing Olympic Stadium, the Coliseum. The U.S. Olympic Committee won't select a bid winner until March or April, with the International Olympic Committee's final decision on a 2016 host city coming in October 2009.

Leiweke spoke about the lessons of the 2012 bid, in which Los Angeles was eliminated early on.

"The last time out we maybe relied too much on our experience and our knowledge," he said. "I think it's important we think outside the box on this one and don't take it for granted. I know that's what happened last time. Quite frankly, we were too high on ourselves. I think we should believe we're in last place."

lisa.dillman@latimes.com

*

(INFOBOX BELOW)

If Los Angeles is awarded the 2016 Olympic Games, here are the projected venues-existing and planned-for each event:

1. Mountain biking (Griffith Park)*

2. Soccer (Rose Bowl)

3. Equestrian (Santa Anita Park)

4. Volleyball (UCLA Pauley Pavilion)

5. Rhythmic gymnastics (Gersten Pavilion)

6. Track and field (L.A. Memorial Coliseum)

7. Weightlifting (Nokia Theater)

8. Boxing (USC Galen Center)

9. Artistic gymnastics (Staples Center)

10. Field hockey (East Los Angeles College)

11. White-water kayak (Raging Waters, San Dimas)*

12. Shooting (L.A. County Fairplex, Pomona)*

13. Modern pentathlon (L.A. County Fairplex, Pomona)*

14. Soccer (Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas)

15. Volleyball (The Forum)

16. Archery (Home Depot Center, Carson)

17. Tennis (Home Depot Center)

18. Track cycling (Home Depot Center)

19. Soccer (Home Depot Center)

20. Team handball (Pyramid of Long Beach)

21. Judo (Long Beach Arena)

22. Swimming (Long Beach Swim Complex)*

23. Beach volleyball (Long Beach Volleyball Complex)*

24. Fencing (Long Beach Convention Center)

25. Synchronized swimming (Long Beach Swim Complex)*

26. Water Polo (Long Beach Swim Complex)*

27. Taekwondo (Long Beach Convention Center)

28. Diving (Belmont Plaza Pool)*

29. Sailing (Long Beach Marina)

30. Rowing (Long Beach Marine Stadium)

31. Canoe/kayak (Long Beach Marine Stadium)

32. Basketball (Honda Center, Anaheim)

33. Table tennis (Anaheim Convention Center)

34. Wrestling (Anaheim Convention Center)

35. Basketball (Anaheim Arena)

36. Badminton (Bren Events Center, Irvine)

37. Equestrian three-day-event (San Juan Capistrano)

38. Soccer (Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego)

*Planned venue

Source: David Simon, SCCOG. Graphics reporting by Joel Greenberg

[DJM19]

Get your own olympics orange county. Basketball belongs in staples!

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

exactly what i was thinking. why is staples only used for one thing when it should be a focal point as well as keeping events in LA Proper??

[Alta California]

I've seen the LA Times graphics, and there's a heavy concentration of sites in South Bay and Long Beach area. Sixteen of the 38 venues will be in that area.

[yeah215]

I have two comments. One is that they should take more advantage of some of the other facilities at USC and UCLA. I see the Galen Center and Pauley Pavilion, but there necessary facilities. Also, I would like to see as much of this downtown as possible. Could field hockey be at that new big park planned in Chinatown? What about the convention center? Metals should be given out in the Grand Ave. Park infront of city hall. I also think and maybe this si a little contradictory to the first idea of as much as possible in downtown, that would be great to use some of the famous LA landmarks. There should be events in Hollywood. They should sail out past Santa Monica Pier, etc. Also, it really would be nice to build some of these things for real. A new swimming stadium would be great. Also and maybe this is just my bias, but I would rather see some of the olympic events creep into the valley than down into orange county. That isn't Los Angeles.

[WesTheAngelino]

^ Well there is talk about that new Arena in Woodland Hills, doncthca know.


And I too am wondering why the hell there is so much planned for out of L.A.??? Was it like that in 84?

[BrighamYen]

(Regarding #14 and #38)


I knew Vegas and SD were suburbs (or exurbs) of LA! :D

[danparker276]

I don't suggest holding anything in Woodland Hills in the summer time.
The weather lining on my car melts every time I go there.

[Damien]

Beach volleyball in Southern California in...LONG BEACH? :whatthefuck:

Venice Beach was unavailable? I don't care if we used them in the past (did we?) put all the beach events there. Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier are they're two of this city's major landmarks. Heck by 2016 we'll even have a transit line going there, the Aqua line.

Incidentally, transit options likely had a lot to do with the decision to create clusters in Anaheim (Metrolink) and Long Beach (Blue line), but I think we could fit a lot more venues in and around LA Live and the Coliseum and we should.

If they can erect temporary pool facilities in a parking lot in Long Beach, what's wrong with the parking lots of the Coliseum?

The only reason I can think that they're not using the Convention Center is because that's where they're putting the media center, but it's twice the size it was in '84 and there are expansion plans on the books. Build the expansion and put some events in there.

Let's keep the Sports Arena and get some events in there, alongn with the Shrine Auditorium and USC has to have more facilities than just the Galen Center. Surely we can find a corner on campus for the table tennis.

Between just those venues: Convention Center, Sports Arena, Shrine and USC, we can say "Thank you for participating Orange County. Exit stage left now; we don't need you."

If we need to, use some of the Downtown LA parking lots (if there are any left by that time).

Outside of downtown, let's move the sailing and rowing to much more picturesque Marina Del Rey, and aren't there any more UCLA venues?

Now we can say, "Thanks Long Beach for your willingness to help out. Your services are no longer needed."

Upgrade or build new some facilities at the spacious CSU-Dominguez Hills, and tap those UCLA and USC donor bases to build some new athletic facilities there. Don't have events in Irvine! Put them in the Kodak Theater before we make people schlep down to Orange County.

[Nutterbug]

I have mixed emotions about the value of the Olympics, mainly because many of the recent ones, based on what can be called their symbolic bookends (the opening & closing ceremonies, which are a big factor behind the concern that SF & Chicago need new stadiums) have become so goofy & wacky. If, among other things, organizers of an LA Olympics in 2016 were to screw that up as much as the others have, I'd regard the event as similar to a burst balloon or major hangover.


Spiegel, September 25, 2006

GREEK OLYMPICS TWO YEARS LATER

Looking for a Baseball Stadium in Athens?

Two years after the 2004 Olympic Games, the Greek government is considering tearing down some venues to cut down on hefty maintenance costs. Most of the stadiums are now standing empty. A weekday ride on the Olympic light rail line from the southern Athens suburb of Glyfada to the port city of Piraeus says it all: On the left, a stunning view across the radiant blue water to the island of Aegina with beaches full of retired Athenians sunning themselves in the foreground. On the right? The Helliniko Olympic Complex, complete with a hockey stadium, a baseball center, a softball stadium and a canoe and kayak slalom course. All empty. Not a soul to be seen.

Indeed, two years after the 2004 Olympic Games -- an event which helped unleash a Greek pride still evident in the myriad Olympics T-shirts and hats one sees around the country's capital -- the Greeks are now wondering what to do with their shiny new sporting venues. While the Olympic Stadium hosted the track and field World Cup last week, other stadiums may be torn down.

It is an absurdity "to spend €107 million to build permanent stadiums for softball, baseball and hockey when these facilities have to be maintained for at most 20 athletes," Spyros Kladas, a general secretary in the culture ministry, said recently.

That was just a small part of the total €2.2 billion price tag for Olympics-related construction projects across the country from Thessaloniki in the north to Heraklion on the island of Crete in the south. Now, those facilities are costing the state €55 million per year in maintenance bills -- and many of them are going unused. Stadiums in Patras and Volos, for example, are too expensive for local, second-league soccer clubs to afford. Should such unused venues not be torn down, the government says, they will merely fall apart on their own.

Greece was able to use the Olympics to fuel a 5 percent boost in tourism in 2005, but the country has done little to find alternative uses for Olympic infrastructure. According to a report in August, only three venues out of more than a dozen built for the games have been leased out so far. "The success of the games gave us a reputation boost," George Drakopoulos, general manager of the Union of Greek Tourist Enterprises, said in August. "But we have been late in exploiting this heritage." Kladas has said that the state company charged with post-games management of the facilities only started operations after the games were over. "It should have been created in 1997 alongside the games organizing committee," he said.

Greece's problems prior to the Olympic Games were widely covered -- cost overruns and delays meant some venues not finished until just days before the games began. Massive borrowing financed the construction. Now, it is difficult to imagine what the suburb of Glyfada might do with its baseball center. The rowing course next door is also not likely to be used soon. It was built in a wetlands and is no longer usable due to environmental restrictions.

For reasons such as this, I think the Olympics should be spread out over broader regions and not just concentrated within one city only. That way, they could use a lot more preexisting infrastructure and whatever new facilities are built can be spread out among multiple cities to be used by a greater potential user base and not go to waste so much.

The World Cup of Soccer has the right idea.

[RAlossi]

^One of the main -- if not THE main -- ideas behind Los Angeles's bid to host the Olympics is that most of our potential Games infrastructure is already existing, and most of it will be in different or upgraded venues from the 1984 Olympics.

I'm wondering if this will be a repeat of why Los Angeles decided to bid on the 1984 Olympics, with other cities struggling to pay for the vast construction projects they undertook. Maybe we will see what happens in Beijing.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Beach volleyball in Southern California in...LONG BEACH? :whatthefuck:

Venice Beach was unavailable? I don't care if we used them in the past (did we?) put all the beach events there. Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier are they're two of this city's major landmarks. Heck by 2016 we'll even have a transit line going there, the Aqua line.

Incidentally, transit options likely had a lot to do with the decision to create clusters in Anaheim (Metrolink) and Long Beach (Blue line), but I think we could fit a lot more venues in and around LA Live and the Coliseum and we should.

If they can erect temporary pool facilities in a parking lot in Long Beach, what's wrong with the parking lots of the Coliseum?

The only reason I can think that they're not using the Convention Center is because that's where they're putting the media center, but it's twice the size it was in '84 and there are expansion plans on the books. Build the expansion and put some events in there.

Let's keep the Sports Arena and get some events in there, alongn with the Shrine Auditorium and USC has to have more facilities than just the Galen Center. Surely we can find a corner on campus for the table tennis.

Between just those venues: Convention Center, Sports Arena, Shrine and USC, we can say "Thank you for participating Orange County. Exit stage left now; we don't need you."

If we need to, use some of the Downtown LA parking lots (if there are any left by that time).

Outside of downtown, let's move the sailing and rowing to much more picturesque Marina Del Rey, and aren't there any more UCLA venues?

Now we can say, "Thanks Long Beach for your willingness to help out. Your services are no longer needed."

Upgrade or build new some facilities at the spacious CSU-Dominguez Hills, and tap those UCLA and USC donor bases to build some new athletic facilities there. Don't have events in Irvine! Put them in the Kodak Theater before we make people schlep down to Orange County.


Amen, we can have the whole olympics in Los Angeles County, why not do it? the Stapels Center, Galen Center, and the Downtown area is severly underused by this set up. i know that this is a temporary list and there will be changes so i hope they figure it out by then. Also, i know it would be nice to have Beach Volleyball in Santa Monica or Venice, but i think it should be in Hermosa and Manhattan, the birth place of Beach Volleyball.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

For reasons such as this, I think the Olympics should be spread out over broader regions and not just concentrated within one city only. That way, they could use a lot more preexisting infrastructure and whatever new facilities are built can be spread out among multiple cities to be used by a greater potential user base and not go to waste so much.

The World Cup of Soccer has the right idea.

this is the exact reason LA should win, we have everything built.

[Nutterbug]

^ On the other hand, they should also move it around.

I don't think the same city should get the Olympics more than once within a 50 year period.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Amen, we can have the whole olympics in Los Angeles County, why not do it? the Stapels Center, Galen Center, and the Downtown area is severly underused by this set up. i know that this is a temporary list and there will be changes so i hope they figure it out by then. Also, i know it would be nice to have Beach Volleyball in Santa Monica or Venice, but i think it should be in Hermosa and Manhattan, the birth place of Beach Volleyball.

For the most part, I agree. The majority of events should be held in the city of Los Angeles. However, it'd be nice if the wealth were spread around the Southland a little bit (one or two events in Orange County, a handful of events in Long Beach) to get everyone around here involved.

[Allnatural18]

Any more updates on the 3 US cities that are biding to host?

[citywatch]

^ Reports last night that the owner of the SF 49rs now plans to move his team to a new stadium located in a burb of SF, instead of building a new stadium closer to SF where major Olympic events could have been held, prob pushes that city's bid down a few notches.

[Reminiscence]

:previous:

I pray SF has something up its sleeve to counter this :no:

[Alta California]

This is amazing news for Los Angeles! The organizers shouldn't rest though, I don't want them to get a sense of entitlement a la Athens in 1996. L.A. will get the 2016 Olympics through the strength of its infrastructure plans and its sensible budget. This election may seem unrelated to its chances, but the $37 billion infrastructure bond that the voters passed on Tuesday would impress the IOC because it will provide the kind of public investment that Chicago/Illinois lacks.

[latennisguy]

Looks really bad for San Francisco:

San Francisco's Olympic bid staggered by stadium news
By EDDIE PELLS, AP National Writer

Thursday, November 9, 2006 11 03 AM


Printable Version
Email This Article

(11-09) 11:03 PST Costa Mesa, Calif. (AP) --

San Francisco's quest to host the 2016 Olympics was thrown into jeopardy in the wake of the 49ers' decision to end negotiations with the city to build a new stadium.

"Clearly, it was surprising news for us," Jaime Rupert, director of communications for the San Francisco bid, said Thursday.

Not only did the news, announced late Wednesday by the 49ers, catch members of the San Francisco delegation off guard, it came hours before they were to meet with U.S. Olympic Committee officials for a question-and-answer session about the bid process.

Beyond the news, there wasn't much to discuss.

"If I'm in the USOC's position, I'm not seeing a lot of certainty in that situation," said Jesse Blout, San Francisco's director of economic development.

While refusing to say the city would withdraw from the process, Blout and Rupert gave every indication that the sudden news on the stadium put the bid on life support. The stadium was going to be used for opening and closing ceremonies and track and field

The USOC will decide by year's end on whether to bid for the Olympics. Chicago and Los Angeles are the other candidates.

Chicago plans to build a stadium in its Washington Park area. Chicago 2016 chairman Pat Ryan gave no specifics of how the privately financed venue would be paid for, other than to say the city would make the USOC feel comfortable about its plan by April, when the committee would nominate a city for consideration.

"It's a process," Ryan said. "We're being very aggressive and diligent to give a measure of certainty."

Los Angeles plans to renovate the LA Coliseum, also using private funds.

While those cities' blueprints remain in tact, San Francisco now has no plan.

"We'll look at any and all options," Blout said. "The mayor wants to win these Olympics. We were certainly caught off guard."

The USOC will decide in December whether to go forward with a bid. The International Olympic Committee will choose its city in 2009.

[Reminiscence]

I think that unless they present the bid as "SF Bay Area 2016", or something like that, then we dont have much of a chance. Knowing that we'll have a massive new stadium most likely in Santa Clara, and that most of the events will take place in SF anyways, I dont see how thats a problem. If the Bay Area doesnt get the US bid, then look for some international city to win it once again. Not to blast Chicago and Los Angeles, as they are great cities as well, but ehhh ... I dont know. This makes me sick to my stomach how York can do this, SF had the US bid already, there was no question. :( :(

[WesTheAngelino]

^ I dont get why their hopes are so deflated.....hell, seems like half the LA events would take place in Long Beach.

[Reminiscence]

Well, I would think that having the Bay Area instead of just SF is much better because it offers more diversity. The problem is getting people to support it. People who apparently wont benefit much from it will most likely oppose it regarding the costs not worth it and what not. The beauty of having it just in SF is that the area is so small and compact, yet it has so much to offer. I know if they pick SF to host it, it will truly be a legendary presentation :)

[trvlr70]

I'm completely shocked. I thought for sure it would be a bitter race to the end with Chicago.

The 49ers totally screwed over the city and all of the Bay Area residents who would have economically and culturally benefited from the Games.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

And then there were two. Chicago needs to find funding for its stadium, and because of that, along with other reasons, LA has to be considered the front runner between the two.

[WesTheAngelino]

Downtown LA and Expo Park alone could host the entire Olympics (save for perhaps the wierd water events and equestrian events) in my opinion. Add the Rose Bowl for soccer......

[Wright Concept]

The equstrian events could take place in North Griffith Park

[trvlr70]

And then there were two. Chicago needs to find funding for its stadium, and because of that, along with other reasons, LA has to be considered the front runner between the two.
I tend to agree, but I just don't think the committee will want to give LA its third Games.

[WesTheAngelino]

Everyone remember that baseball stadium proposal for the Cornfield??? Now that would make for a great Olympic venue

[Damien]

Will someone please, in the name of all that is holy get the guys running this bid to add Venice Beach and Marina Del Rey to the venue list. :gaah:

Our bid, as a Chicago columnist opined, is a fricking bore. Anaheim, Long Beach and Irvine inspire about as much excitement to the international community as Yonkers. Stick with what the world knows and loves about L.A.: the beaches for one.

[DJM19]

They probably didnt want to give LA the games in 84, but they had to cuz LA is the only one the stepped up and freed the olympics of total humility

But I dont really like LA's bid because it goes all the way to Anaheim. This isnt the orange county olympics and they shouldnt be apart of it. Its too far and there is nothing Anaheim can do that LA cant.

[Wright Concept]

What is in Anaheim? Disneyland. That is as much a part of visiting the LA region as anything else. A quick hop on the Metrolink train and about 45-60 minutes later and folks will be there. Sometimes I wonder if they could rehap the Fabulous Forum for some Olympic events.

[yeah215]

It is frustrating because all of the events can really be held in the city of los Angeles. Between the professional arenas, USC, UCLA, and the rest, there is no problem. There is Griffith Park, and whatnot. I don't think it is necessary to have temporary pools in Long Beach and all of that. The Olympic bid seems like a rerun of past major sporting events and doesn't capture LA the way it should. The equistrian stuff should be in Griffith Park. Sail out of Marina Del Rey (not technically in the city) and up past the Santa Monica Pier. Run the Marathon down Hollywood Blvd. Lets take advantage of it. There also should be events in the Valley (I know that's a horrible thing to say) but it is a large part of where people live in LA. It seems to me we can take advantage of the Sepulveda Basin and Balboa Park. Maybe some event in that new area proposed in Woodland Hills. Use the Universal Ampithere, Greek Theater, Hollywood Bowl. I just really don't get it. And if there are going to be temporary stages and whatnot. We should do it appropriately. How fun would it be to have a temporary venue in Vencie Beach (Muscle Beach) for Weightlifting. Instead the proposal is to use the new Nokia Theater. I think we should be more creative.

[coyotetrickster]

Well, I would think that having the Bay Area instead of just SF is much better because it offers more diversity. The problem is getting people to support it. People who apparently wont benefit much from it will most likely oppose it regarding the costs not worth it and what not. The beauty of having it just in SF is that the area is so small and compact, yet it has so much to offer. I know if they pick SF to host it, it will truly be a legendary presentation :)

Actually, we lost a shot at the bid to New York for the 2012 Games precisely because we proposed a large Bay Area focus with Stanford's stadium as the Speed and Track/possibly opening venue as the committee didn't like Candlestick. The Santa Clara Rollercoasters suck!

[DJM19]

What is in Anaheim? Disneyland. That is as much a part of visiting the LA region as anything else. A quick hop on the Metrolink train and about 45-60 minutes later and folks will be there. Sometimes I wonder if they could rehap the Fabulous Forum for some Olympic events.

If those people want to go to disneyland, then let them, but god knows dinseyland doesnt need any more publicity than it gets. This is about Los Angeles. We settle for having some things in Carson and such, but they are engulfed by LA. Anaheim is not LA, they say it often enough, and its too far out of the way.

The olympics could be a lot closer and with convenient rail connection. I can easily see this spread out olympics being the result of sponsors demanding their towns representation *cough*disney*cough*

[Reminiscence]

Well, it was a good run for SF while it lasted. Now I'm only hoping that the World Commitee does not pick an American city or else SF wont be able to run again until like 2040. Out of Chicago and LA, as much as I hate to admit it, it seems like LA has the edge because Chicago has plans, and only plans. I blame the Yorks for all this, they completely screwed us over and without warning as well. While its too bad that the commitee doesnt like the whole Bay Area participating, I see little objection to it. Sigh, I guess its back to the drawing board for us then ... The Yorks, I'll curse them til' the day I die, grrrr ..... :pissed:

[Westsidelife]

Why do you hate to admit it? Stop choosing sides. The city that deserves the Olympics will get it.

[Reminiscence]

Why do you hate to admit it? Stop choosing sides. The city that deserves the Olympics will get it.


Well ... you know the age old rivalry between SF and LA, thats why I hate to admit it :P

Plus I also think its good to note that SF more than deserves the olympics, but because of a few people, it wont become a reality until at least 2020. :(

[vizvalleykid]

now i highly doubt a US city will be picked, LA may have all the facilities available but it has participated twice and chicago has a better chance but they are struggling with their plans so the 2016 olympics may not be a US city. and since its most likely to go to africa or south america in 2020 and 2024 US cities dont have chances until 2028, man thats a long ass time away.........

[Westsidelife]

Well it doesn't seem to matter whether or not a city has hosted the Olympics before. Otherwise, Los Angeles would not have been chosen as a potential candidate. You could say that LA has the facilities available because it already has hosted the Olympics twice but the only venue that will be re-used is the Coliseum. The rest of the venues are new and have never been used for hosting Olympic events. And many of the potential venues are located in DTLA, all accessible by rail and DTLA will be the place to be by 2016.

[vizvalleykid]

well its up to the USOC but im telling you LA may be prepared but is the world prepared for another LA olympics?

[Westsidelife]

well its up to the USOC but im telling you LA may be prepared but is the world prepared for another LA olympics?

The world is certainly prepared for another London Olympics...

[latennisguy]

well its up to the USOC but im telling you LA may be prepared but is the world prepared for another LA olympics?

As a representative of the world. I say "yes! we are prepared"

[Reminiscence]

I actually would not be surprised to see a place like Dubai win. They seem to be getting a little of everything now in days, and when all the dust of construction is settled, man, thats going to be some city. As for us, I guess we better start the San Francisco 2020 campaign, sigh ...

[DJM19]

I think their serious mistreatment of construction workers might hurt their chances

[citywatch]

I remember watching the last day of the 2004 Olympics, which cost Greece-Athens millions & millions & millions of $$ to host, & then reflecting on 2 wks of controversy about low attendance & drug testing, all preceeded & then followed by really wacky, unwatchable ceremonies, & I have to say the olympics have been losing some of its prestige over the past few decades.

Still, if LA could somehow snag that event again, & do it with true flair & professionalism, I'll say, hell, yea!

However, I have a hunch that either Tokyo or Madrid (the 3rd runner up for the 2012 games) will get the 2016 games. But, then again, when I think back to Atlanta landing the games only 4 yrs after they had been held in LA (I believe the host of the 1996 games was picked around 1988-89), anything is possible.

[Wright Concept]

If those people want to go to disneyland, then let them, but god knows dinseyland doesnt need any more publicity than it gets. This is about Los Angeles. We settle for having some things in Carson and such, but they are engulfed by LA. Anaheim is not LA, they say it often enough, and its too far out of the way.

The olympics could be a lot closer and with convenient rail connection. I can easily see this spread out olympics being the result of sponsors demanding their towns representation *cough*disney*cough*

Well give me a list of all the events and facilities that will need a 15-18,000 seat indoor arena and tell me which ones will be available and that are existing.

There's going to be a need for practice facilities and the lot so putting an event or two in Anaheim Pond or Long Beach (as long as it's connected by our Metro Rail system will make it easier to sell the Olympic games.) isn't going to kill LA's chances in winning the games.

[DJM19]

So let them practice there. But did you see the LA bid's projected sites?


1. Mountain biking (Griffith Park)*

2. Soccer (Rose Bowl)

3. Equestrian (Santa Anita Park)

4. Volleyball (UCLA Pauley Pavilion)

5. Rhythmic gymnastics (Gersten Pavilion)

6. Track and field (L.A. Memorial Coliseum)

7. Weightlifting (Nokia Theater)

8. Boxing (USC Galen Center)

9. Artistic gymnastics (Staples Center)

10. Field hockey (East Los Angeles College)

11. White-water kayak (Raging Waters, San Dimas)*

12. Shooting (L.A. County Fairplex, Pomona)*

13. Modern pentathlon (L.A. County Fairplex, Pomona)*

14. Soccer (Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas)

15. Volleyball (The Forum)

16. Archery (Home Depot Center, Carson)

17. Tennis (Home Depot Center)

18. Track cycling (Home Depot Center)

19. Soccer (Home Depot Center)

20. Team handball (Pyramid of Long Beach)

21. Judo (Long Beach Arena)

22. Swimming (Long Beach Swim Complex)*

23. Beach volleyball (Long Beach Volleyball Complex)*

24. Fencing (Long Beach Convention Center)

25. Synchronized swimming (Long Beach Swim Complex)*

26. Water Polo (Long Beach Swim Complex)*

27. Taekwondo (Long Beach Convention Center)

28. Diving (Belmont Plaza Pool)*

29. Sailing (Long Beach Marina)

30. Rowing (Long Beach Marine Stadium)

31. Canoe/kayak (Long Beach Marine Stadium)

32. Basketball (Honda Center, Anaheim)

33. Table tennis (Anaheim Convention Center)

34. Wrestling (Anaheim Convention Center)

35. Basketball (Anaheim Arena)

36. Badminton (Bren Events Center, Irvine)

37. Equestrian three-day-event (San Juan Capistrano)

38. Soccer (Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego)


How is it that staples center, the pride of indoor arenas in Los Angeles, gets only gymnastics, while all the basketball is in Anaheim?

[Trojan in NYC]

:previous:
Vegas and San Diego? they are pretty far from LA.

[Wright Concept]

So let them practice there. But did you see the LA bid's projected sites?

How is it that staples center, the pride of indoor arenas in Los Angeles, gets only gymnastics, while all the basketball is in Anaheim?

Yes I did, From the looks of it it's preliminary. They can easily switch items, so it's not that big of a deal. I bet as the competition gets intense the footprint of the Olympic games become more compact within the city of LA area. So again not that big of a problem.

Now if the proposed arena in the San Fernando Valley gets approved by the time they revise the plans in the the problems will be solved because Gymnastics can go there. Leaving Basketball to both LA and Anaheim and the Gold Medal game taking place at Staples.

[solongfullerton]

I think that gymnastics belongs at the Staples Center since it is the "staple event" of the summer games (no pun intended). However, basketball has gained popularity in the last few games, so hopefully theres a way to please all, while still keeping the events within reasonable proximity of eachother.

[DJM19]

Vegas and SD are too far. Hopefully thats just a practice thing. Honestly...LA is suppose to be putting this together, stop giving the competition stuff!! ;)

[Bernd]

At the 1984 Olympics the equestrian events were held at Fairbanks Ranch in San Diego County. There's no reason something like that can't happen again.

[tujunga]

Vegas and SD are too far. Hopefully thats just a practice thing. Honestly...LA is suppose to be putting this together, stop giving the competition stuff!! ;)

When the summer olympic games were held in Atlanta some soccer events were held in neighboring cities such as Birmingham. I did attend one of the soccer games in Birmingham.

[Alta California]

^^Soccer events have always been spread out during the Olympic Games. That's true of Athens, Sydney, Atlanta, etc. The Los Angeles games in 1984 had soccer games in Boston and Annapolis! It's probably done this way as a sop to the rest of the bidding city's country to gain widespread support. The most extreme example of venue distance from the host city was in 1956 when Melbourne hosted and the equesterian events were held in Stockholm.

[jessie_sanchez]

I think that the events should be confined to Los Angeles County. Can't some of the event be held in Santa Monica or Venice? They're icons for crying out loud.

Besides some OC people are so full of crap and don't like to be associated with Los Angeles.

[Wright Concept]

I think that the events should be confined to Los Angeles County. Can't some of the event be held in Santa Monica or Venice? They're icons for crying out loud.

Besides some OC people are so full of crap and don't like to be associated with Los Angeles.


I would guess they could but how would you relieve traffic that will be built up in that area before and after the events? Plus these are the summer games, you don't want to kill those icons for folks who want to visit LA and not see the Olympic games. The same reason why you don't have events at the Universal Ampatheater and other concert venues because that would kill any additional money for the city having regular summer concerts there.

[citywatch]

It's better to see ppl being passionate about LA hosting the games instead of their being apathetic. For example, it's not too encouraging that alot of the local media has treated the story of the city's bid for the 2016 games as though it's way out in left field or not too realistic. However, if debate at this point in time becomes intense enough that ppl are arguing over whether Olympic events in LA should be held in OC or other places that are X miles from the city, then the phrase that comes to mind is "don't count your eggs before they've hatched". :cool:

[yeah215]

LA Times Editorial

EDITORIAL
Bring the Olympics Back to L.A.
Even though we've had them twice, L.A. is still the better pick to host the 2016 games.
November 19, 2006

LOS ANGELES VS. CHICAGO. Never mind all the usual rivalries that come to mind when the cities are mentioned: Kobe vs. Michael, Wilco vs. Beck, Gehry vs. Gehry … something about newspapers. When the subject is hosting the 2016 Olympics, the choice between the two remaining U.S. contenders (San Francisco dropped out last week) is clear. As much as there is to admire in Chicago's civic tradition and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," L.A.'s bid is superior.

Los Angeles isn't perfect, but it may be the perfect place to hold the Summer Olympics. The weather is brilliant. The time zone — in an era when NBC pays $5.7 billion for a dozen years of U.S. broadcast rights, such things matter — is ideal. The infrastructure, from stadiums to freeways to (growing) rail, is extensive.

And the history is glorious. It's not just Olympic Boulevard or the city's rows of delicate towering palm trees, both legacies of the 1932 Games. The Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games is one of the oldest such organizations in the world, in existence since 1939. It has played a crucial role in Olympics and local history, bidding for every Summer Olympics from 1948 to 1984, when its bid was selected. Those games were so profitable that the committee was able to distribute tens of millions of dollars to local groups such as the Amateur Athletic Foundation.

The committee has brought this expertise to bear on its 2016 bid. No public money would be needed for the games, say organizers, and relatively little private money. Only one venue (for shooting) would need to be built. Athletes would live at dormitories at USC or UCLA. The Los Angeles Coliseum, which hosted opening and closing ceremonies in 1932 and 1984, would reprise its historic role. For such a forward-looking city, L.A. is steeped in Olympics tradition.

Yet L.A.'s history with the Olympics might also be the best argument against its bid. This city has already hosted the Olympics twice, the argument goes; shouldn't it give other places a chance? And if ever there were a city that deserved a chance, it's Chicago, which has already suffered the indignity of being one of the only selected cities ever to lose an Olympics, in 1904. Make that a double indignity: It lost those games to St. Louis.

But sentiment only goes so far with the U.S. Olympic Committee, which is to decide next month whether it will submit a bid for 2016 to the International Olympic Committee. The USOC's criteria tend more toward the quantitative: how many venues are built; how new ones will be paid for; how spectators and athletes will get around. On that score, L.A. stands head-and-big-shoulders above Chicago.

Chicago has a compact site — most events would take place within seven square miles of the Loop — and better public transportation. But it would have to build an Olympic stadium, as well as an aquatics center and a few other venues, from scratch; that cost could reach $800 million. Organizers are talking with developers to build an athletes' village, which could cost up to $1 billion.

Chicago and L.A. still have time, of course, to refine and improve their bids. The USOC will select a U.S. candidate city next spring, and the IOC is to choose a site for the 2016 Games in October 2009. Because of the complicated and mysterious geopolitics of the IOC, 2016 looks to be the best chance for a U.S. bid in the next few decades.

If the United States wants the Olympics in its future, then it should look to the Olympics in its past — to the city known as the epicenter of global entertainment. Los Angeles has represented the United States twice before in the Olympics, to great fanfare. It can do so again.

[ReDSPork02]

So Is This An Official Endorsement From The L.a. Times For The Olympics?

[Chase Unperson]

That's one way of looking at it but would they ever endorse another city? It is so obvious that it doesn't really qualify as an endorsement.

[ReDSPork02]

That's one way of looking at it but would they ever endorse another city? It is so obvious that it doesn't really qualify as an endorsement.

i MEANT BY THEM SAYING "O.K. BRING THEM ON" AND NOT SAYING "BAD IDEA, SHUUU GO AWAY" KIND OF EDORSEMENT.

[solongfullerton]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061121/sp_wl_afp/oly2012gbrbritain_061121164501

LONDON (AFP) - The cost of London's 2012 Olympic Park will e 900 million pounds more than initially budgeted, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has revealed.

ADVERTISEMENT

The new 3.3 billion pound figure, up from 2.375 billion pounds, includes an extra 400 million pounds to pay the delivery partner consortium CLM, who will try to ensure the 2012 Games come in on budget and on time.

The increase in costs was blamed on the doubling in the price of steel and a decision to revise transport costs to take into account inflation in the run-up to 2012.

Jowell told MPs on Tuesday: "An additional cost of 400 million (pounds), not included in the original bid, is in order to fund the delivery partner whose overriding reponsibility is to ensure the costs of the Games are kept on budget and that the timescales are kept."

Asked who would meet the extra cost, Jowell said discussions were ongoing, but the earlier "memorandum of understanding" had been for overspends to be met by a combination of London council taxpayers, and Lottery games.



Maybe its just me, but I think this article pretty much seals the US bid for LA. We don't have to build anything and the existing structures that will be used are of world class quality. If steel is expensive now, how much will it cost in a few years when Chicago is trying to secure building supplies for its unbuilt structures. The nail is in the coffin.

[urbanflyer]

I think their serious mistreatment of construction workers might hurt their chances

hello? Beijing??

[LAMetroGuy]

L.A. Gets Olympic Nod

By ALLEN P. ROBERTS Jr.

The United States Olympic Committee said Tuesday this it will nominate either Chicago or Los Angeles as the applicant city for the United States.

In addition to Chicago and Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia and San Francisco were other U.S. cities initially under consideration to host the Games.


The USOC will see final presentations from both cities April 14 and will then announce its official U.S. representative city for the 2016 Games.

The International Olympic Committee deadline for applicant cities is September 15 and the host city will be determined in a vote by IOC members in October 2009. Madrid, New Delhi, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Rome and Tokyo are among the international cities also considering bids.

The United States has not hosted a summer Olympics since the 1996 Atlanta Games, but did host the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. However, the Salt Lake Games became shrouded in corruption shortly because of a bribery scandal that forced the resignation of some IOC members and changed the IOC's bid process.

The 2008 Summer Games will be held in Beijing, China.

[Btown]

LA again? ok it would be three if they did it there. enough. wait 50 years and let a non american city win