IOC approves double allocation of 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games, ahead of Lima Session

LAUSANNE, July 11, 2017 - Members of the International Olympic Committee voted in unanimous approval for a double allocation of the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympic Games on Tuesday, in what is seen as a crucial move for the future of the Olympic movement. The move will see a three-way deal between bid cities LA 2024, Paris 2024 and the IOC Executive Board expected to be negotiated ahead of the 131st IOC Session in Lima in September. The Session in Lausanne concluded in victorious spirit for LA and Paris, as the two city mayors jumped on stage hand in hand thanking the IOC members for voting on a proposal that is expected to see both cities come as winners and organizers of the 2024 or 2028 Olympic Games. Earlier in the day both cities had presented their bids to the IOC members. In his opening remarks of the Extraordinary Session in Lausanne, IOC President Bach highlighted the ‘new political reality’ and the external and internal challenges for the IOC and its traditional bid system. “The decision-making process in many countries has changed, with dramatic changes seen particularly in Europe, with populist movements on the rise, that have become very influential,” Bach said, alluding to pulled bids for the 2024 Games from Budapest, Rome and Hamburg. “In this new political reality, the old bid process has become too expensive and too arduous,” the IOC President said, highlighting that both cities had shown their support for a double allocation. The weeks leading up to the Lima however will include intense negotiation from both sides, as IOC President Thomas Bach and Vice-president John Coates confirmed that if a tripartite deal could not be reached between the EB and the two bid cities, the Session in Lima would revert to a traditional vote for just 2024. One that would include the risk of a ‘loser’. The tripartite plan, as explained by Coates, would include one bid city agreeing to ‘raise their hand’ for the 2028 Olympic Games, therefore waiving its bid for the 2024 Games. The 2028 bid process would then be opened for the city in question, for which the existing 2024 Olympic contract would undergo minor alterations. In this case, depending on the nature of negotiations, the IOC Session in Lima would vote only to ratify the decision reached by the Executive Board, Los Angeles, Paris and their corresponding National Olympic Committees. It was confirmed during the session that the Olympic Charter would not need to be altered to accommodate the double allocation, as the agreement between the EB and the two host cities to award a Games 11 years ahead of time instead of the Charter-required seven, would be seen as ‘exceptional circumstances’ As explained by Coates, speaking under the advice of Swiss lawyer and former Director General of the IOC Francois Carrard, the seven-year bid deadline mentioned in the charter is applicable to change, as it is interpreted as a way for bid cities to have enough time to prepare for hosting Games. Therefore, a decision made ahead of the 7-year period is possible. Culled from :AIPS