LOS ANGELES, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Los Angeles Mayor, LA 2024 Bid Committee and local press hailed Tuesday as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to simultaneously award the 2024 and 2028 games, paving the way for the Olympics to return to Paris and Los Angeles, both are trying head to head to land an Olympian deal.
"This is a proud day for Los Angeles and for the Olympic and Paralympic Movements in America," a statement of Los Angeles's bid committee, LA 2024 said. "We're thrilled with the IOC's decision today, which is a major step forward in making LA's Olympic dream a reality."
The statement released Tuesday praised Los Angeles and its competitor for 2024 Olympic Paris as two of the world's greatest cities with outstanding but different proposals.
"We look forward to working with the IOC and Paris in the weeks ahead to turn this golden opportunity into a golden future together," the statement said.
In a rare move, the IOC unanimously voted Tuesday to announce the bid winner of the 2024 and 2028 Olympic games at the same time.
According to the report of ABC, IOC officials would enter 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.
Assuming an agreement was reached, the full committee would gather in Lima, Peru in September to officially award both games, the report said, adding that if neither city was willing to wait, the IOC would award only the 2024 games in September, but the it was unlikely given that bid leaders from both cities were open to the idea, especially Los Angeles.
"LA 2024 has never been only about LA or 2024," bid Chairman Casey Wasserman said in June. "Even when the issue of a dual award for the 2024 and 2028 Games was initially raised, we didn't say it's 'LA first' or it's 'now or never' for LA."
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who is in Switzerland to forge the arrangement tweeted Tuesday: "The IOC has decided to award both the 2024 and 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games when it announces the host cities in September."
His tweets copied the admiring words of LA 2024's statement, praising IOC's decision and local residents' supports.
"I want to thank the people of my city --The Angelenos who have believe in Olympics. For the first in a generation, we are going to bring the Olympics home," Garcetti wrote.
Los Angeles 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 was the first modern games that didn't leave behind large public debt.
United States Olympic Committee Chief Executive Officer Scott Blackmun issued a statement to welcome the decision as well.
"Today's decision by the IOC is historic and welcome. We look forward to working with our partners in LA, our friends in Paris, and the IOC administration to make the dream of bringing the Games back to the United States a reality," the statement said.
U.S. President Ronald Trump also tweeted Tuesday that he's "working hard" to bring the Summer Olympics to the city.
Garcetti said earlier that Trump promised to back the city's Olympic bid when the two spoke in last November following Trump's electoral college win.
NBC Los Angeles described the decision as a win-win result, emphasizing that the dual award could give the IOC a decade of stability with two world-class cities both have financially secure plan.
"The win-win option also guards against a 2024 loser refusing to bid again for 2028 and avoids inflicting a third recent defeat on Paris -- which lost with bids for the 2008 and 2012 Olympics -- and the United States. New York and Chicago both lost heavily for 2012 and 2016, respectively," NBS said.
