USOC to Narrow List of Potential 2024 Bid Cities

The U.S. Olympic Committee has received interest from “more than two or three” and “less than 10” cities interested in bidding on the 2024 Olympic Summer Games should the United States put forward a bid, said Scott Blackmun, CEO of the USOC. Following the USOC board of director’s quarterly meeting, Blackmun said the USOC intends to narrow its list of prospective bidders soon and select a final city by the end of 2014 or early 2015.

“Before we make a final decision we need to get into fairly detailed discussions with hopefully a smaller number of cities,” Blackmun said. “Our objective is to be in that position within the next couple of months. Ideally that means we’re in discussions with two or three cities.”

USOC Chairman Larry Probst said the USOC continues to receive positive signs from International Olympic Committee members interested in seeing the U.S. put forward a city for consideration. “We’ve heard plenty of encouragement from multiple IOC members about a U.S. bid,” he said. “I think the IOC membership is favorably inclined toward us at least considering a bid going forward.”

Asked about how political tensions between the United States and other nations might affect a bid, Blackmun said the USOC is not factoring in global politics into the decision to move forward. “We do think it’s time for the Games to come back to the United States if we can put together a bid that we think will create a great experience for the athletes and the people who come to watch,” he said.

U.S. cities that have publicly expressed an interest in bidding include Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Dallas, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C.