President Donald Trump will meet IOC President Thomas Bach for the first time on Thursday at the White House to discuss Los Angeles’ 2024 Olympic bid, according to The New York Times and ESPN.com.
The IOC is based in Lausanne, Switzerland, but Bach was in New York on Wednesday to announce the IOC’s new sponsorship deal with Intel.
Trump and Bach spoke by phone about LA 2024 in November, after Trump’s election.
Trump “expressed his strong support” for LA 2024 then, according to LA 2024. Trump later said he believed the IOC was “very happy” when it spoke with him about the bid.
“They wanted to have an endorsement from me, and I gave it to them very loud and clear,” Trump said in February. “I would love to see the Olympics go to Los Angeles. I think that it’ll be terrific. The United States committee’s members have asked me to speak up about it, and I have, and I think I’ve helped them, and let’s see what happens. But I’d be very happy and honored if they would choose Los Angeles, and we’d stand behind it.”
Los Angeles and Paris are vying for the 2024 Games, due to be voted on by IOC members on Sept. 13. But the IOC executive board recommended on June 9 that those two cities split the 2024 and 2028 Olympics instead.
Which city would get which Olympics would have to be decided. Both LA and Paris prefer 2024. Paris 2024’s stance is that it will only accept the 2024 Games. LA 2024 has repeated that it will not issue an ultimatum.
IOC members will vote on ratifying a double-awarding proposal in July.
If it’s ratified, Los Angeles will become the first U.S. Olympic host city since Salt Lake City in 2002 (Winter Games) and Atlanta in 1996, ending the U.S.’ longest drought between hosting Olympics since the 28-year gap between 1932 and 1960.
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