Sept. 15--The bidding race for the 2024 Summer Olympics has officially begun with Tuesday's deadline for cities to submit.
The International Olympic Committee is expected to confirm the candidates by Wednesday and issue guidelines for a new bidding process that reflects the recent "Agenda 2020" reforms.
It remains unclear how much bidding will be altered or whether there will be any changes to the controversial host city contract, which puts taxpayer dollars at risk if the Olympics finish in debt.
On Tuesday, U.S. Olympic Committee leaders reiterated their confidence that Los Angeles can stage a financially responsible Games.
LA24 leaders expressed similar optimism about aligning with "Agenda 2020" in a letter they presented to IOC President Thomas Bach earlier this month.
"Los Angeles has partnered with the Olympic Movement at some crucial moments in our collective histories, and we are eager once again to be a Games changer for the greatest celebration of sports and humanity on the planet," Casey Wasserman, the bid committee's chairman, said in a statement Tuesday.
"LA 2024 would like to wish the very best of luck to our fellow candidate cities, and we look forward to setting out on this exciting two-year journey with them," Wasserman said.
Paris, Rome, Hamburg, Germany, and Budapest, Hungary, have announced their intentions to bid. Baku, Azerbaijan, might enter at the last moment.
