By Shen Chenchen
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- "I am really looking forward to watching 2028 Olympic Games with my sons" here in Los Angelese, Andrew Luckin said on Monday while picking up his 2-year-old and 4-year-old boys from a preschool.
The Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic bid committee in cooperation with the International Olympic Committee, announced its intention on Monday for Los Angeles to host the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2028.
"My boys will be teenagers by 2028," Luckin told Xinhua. "I am a big sports fan, I used to play basketball in college. So it will be very exciting if I could watch Olympic games with my boys, great father-son time."
"This is a historic day for Los Angeles, for the United States and for the Olympic and Paralympic Movements around the world," Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angelese, said in a news release. "Today, we take a major step toward bringing the Games back to our city for the first time in a generation and begin a new chapter in Los Angeles' timeless Olympic story."
The last generation of Americans watching the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles saw Michael Jordan, the National Basketball Association superstar, lead his team to a Gold Medal.
Los Angeles was running for the 2024 Olympics in the first place, and now it has reached on the agreement of hosting 2028 Games, while ceding the 2024 Games to Paris. The deal would make LA a three-time Olympic city, after hosting the 1932 and 1984 Games.
During the Olympics, more visitors will come to LA, which is already a popular destination for global tourists.
As the second-largest city in the United States by population, traffic problem in Los Angeles is a big concern for the residents.
"I am very excited about the Olympics. But I was worried about the traffic when I first heard LA was running for the 2024 Games," Annie Carter, a local resident told Xinhua, emphasizing she was really worried it would take her one more hour to commute during the Olympics.
"But now I think we will have four more years to prepare for the Olympics, hopefully the public transportation system will be good enough for everyone to catch up games at different locations," she said.
On the other hand, more visitors means more economic opportunities for people like Uber drivers and Airbnb hosts.
"I believe the renting price will definitely go up," Kat Kyles, a young house owner told Xinhua that she has been renting out an empty room in her house on Airbnb.
Her house is about half an hour drive to downtown Los Angeles, and within one hour drive to Long Beach, which is another major proposed venue. "The rent can be easily increased by, at least, 30 percent, during the Olympics."
Including Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Staples Center, Rose Bowl, Dodger Stadium, Long Beach Sports Park and more, Los Angeles already has venues for different sports, which is also another important factor for Angelenos supporting the Olympics.
"It seems we do not need to spend a lot of money building new facilities. That is a great news for everyone," Carter said. "It will be a great Game, I am very proud of being an Angeleno."
