LOS ANGELES, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Three of major professional sports leagues in the United States voiced Sunday their support for Los Angeles' bid for the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games while the race between Los Angeles and Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games is entering the home stretch.
Major League Baseball(MLB), Major League Soccer(MLS) and the National Football League(NFL) have joined the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in support of Los Angeles' bid, according to a statement released by LA 2024.
The announcement reflects LA 2024's focus on the future of the Olympic and Paralympic movements. LA 2024' s Games Plan is designed to ensure all sports are able to tap into America' s 250-billion U.S. dollars sports market.
"Major League Baseball strongly supports the bid by Los Angeles to host the 2024 Olympic Games. Los Angeles is known for its diverse culture, rich sports history and beautiful weather and would be the perfect location for the Olympics and Paralympics," MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. said.
"I wish success to everyone associated with the effort to bring the Games back to Los Angeles," he added.
"MLS is proud to support Los Angeles' bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. LA truly embraces the spirit of sport and is the ideal city to represent and reinforce Olympic values while creating an unforgettable, state-of-the-art Games experience for a global audience," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also expressed his enthusiastic support for Los Angeles, "Los Angeles is a legendary sports town. When you combine that legacy with the grandeur of Hollywood and leading tech companies along its shores, Los Angeles is in the best position to produce a state-of-the art Olympic and Paralympic Games. LA's unique, youthful and cutting-edge culture is guaranteed to inspire a new generation of sports fans," he said.
"The MLB, MLS and NFL are known worldwide for their visionary, state-of-the-art sports presentation, the caliber of which we are eager to bring to the Olympic and Paralympic Games," said LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman.
"LA 2024 is honored to earn the broad support from MLS, MLB and NFL in addition to our support from the NBA and WNBA," said Wasserman.
LA 2024 will leverage the professional sports leagues' ready-made connections to existing fan bases and the global youth market, as well as their expertise in dynamic sports presentation, to encourage a new generation of Olympic and Paralympic believers.
Los Angeles and Paris are the last remaining candidates for the 2024 Olympics Games. The International Olympic Committee will elect a winner on September 13 in Lima, Peru.
