LOS ANGELES, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Los Angeles Council voted Friday morning in a special meeting by 12-0, approving the contracts signed by the city government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last week to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028.
It's an important move for the second largest city of the United States to lock the award of being host of the 2028 Summer Games, which is scheduled to be announced with 2024 Olympics host city Paris, together by IOC on Sept. 13 in Peru.
In the two-hour meeting, representatives from Chief Legislative Analyst, City Administrative Officer, and City Attorney report briefly their assessments to the Host City Contract, Memorandum of Understanding and other actions for the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Meanwhile, about one hundred local residents also shared their comments and recommendations regarding the contracts before vote.
Some residents expressed their concerns about the Games could worse the traffic problem and housing crisis of the city. But more people believed that LA would benefit from the Olympics, including infrastructure works, education and small business.
Due to LA is on track to host the Olympics four years later than it originally planned, so that only two days before the meeting, members of city council just received the Fiscal Impact Statement and Community Impact Statement, but they don't have a revised budget for the 2028 Games on Friday's meeting.
The endorsement on Friday authorizes LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and Council President Herb Wesson to sign a "tripartite" agreement between the cities of Paris and Los Angeles, each nation's Olympic committee and the IOC, which will ensure the two cities to be awarded the two Games in 2024 and 2028 simultaneously.
It will also authorize Garcetti and Wesson to sign the Host City Contract and provide a written guarantee stating the city will cover any potential financial shortfall incurred by the Olympic organizing committee while staging the 2028 Games.
In a rare move, the IOC unanimously voted last month to announce the bid winner of the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games at the same time. That means two competitors for 2024 Olympic, Paris and LA, each at least locked an opportunity.
IOC officials then entered into negotiations with bid leaders from LA and Paris to determine which city will host the games in 2024 and which city must wait until 2028.
After landed a deal with IOC on July 31 to host 2028 Games, the LA City Council and United States Olympic Committee Board of Directors have to approval it before Aug. 18, then the IOC, LA and Paris will reach a tripartite agreement, clearing the way for IOC Membership to confirm the Olympic Games 2024 to Paris and the Olympic Games 2028 to LA at the next IOC session in Lima.
LA has hosted the Summer Games for two times in history. The first was held in 1932 during the Great Depression. The 1984 Olympics in the second largest city of the United States was the first modern games that didn't leave behind large public debt.
