Ordinarily, this would be the day that bidding cities spend years leading up to...only for most of them to see all that time and money go for naught. But not this time. They don't even have "vote" written anywhere on the agenda for the IOC Session. It's simply presentations by both cities, followed by ratification of the three-way agreement and the signing of the host city contracts.
At a normal IOC election, this would be the day with all the fanfare. You'd have heads of state flying in and famous athletes from each country describing how wonderful the experience of their Olympic Games would be. Each bid would be given 45 minutes, complete with videos and speeches, in their final chance to impress the voters (for many of whom this is the main perk of IOC membership) before those voters decide where the Olympics will be in seven years.
Things are going to be very, very different this time, though. The IOC told both cities not to go overboard in their presentations. Each organizing committee will only be given 25 minutes. Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron will not attend. There will be no vote. And there will be no loser. Both Paris and Los Angeles will come away with their ultimate goal of hosting the Olympics.
This is, of course, a unique, one-time occurrence. And it's one that really only came about after Budapest withdrew its bid, dropping this race from three cities to two. People had been hinting at the dual-awarding even while Budapest was still in the running, but it wasn't going to happen unless it was just the two of them. So, in a way, Budapest did the IOC a favor. It gave them this unique opportunity that they were smart to take advantage of.
But, you also can't help but wonder how much this day would be different had Budapest not dropped out and this was still a competition between three cities. Budapest wasn't going to win. But these would've been the final presentations we're used to. All of the usual bells and whistles present at these final IOC Session would've come out.
And we likely would've seen Paris win. They'd been the favorites for 2024 the entire time, and nothing would've changed heading into the vote. (Of course, we said that about their 2005 bid for the 2012 Games that ultimately went to London, but Paris wasn't going to be passed over again.) So, for Paris, and, really, for France as a whole, the only difference is they know going in that the 2024 Olympics will definitely be in Paris instead of just hoping they will be.
The biggest difference is that instead of LA and the USOC left feeling defeated and licking their wounds over another Olympic loss, everyone will walk out winners. Sure, LA's 11-year wait will be the longest in Olympic history. But had it been a straight up head-to-head competition won by Paris, the likelihood of LA (or any other American city) bidding for 2028 would've been slim to none. And, for the certainty of knowing that the LA Olympics are definitely going to happen, the extra four years seems well worth it.
Now the attention will turn to the 2026 Winter Games, which the IOC desperately hopes will turn the tide after all the withdrawals that have plagued the last two bid cycles. Denver and Salt Lake City have both expressed an interest in those Winter Olympics, but they'd be advised to hold off. Not only are the 2026 Olympics likely headed to Europe, the 2026 World Cup is going to be in the U.S., and with LA 2028 becoming official, you'd have to think they won't put back-to-back Olympics in the same country.
That's a discussion for another day, though. Instead we get to celebrate the end of another bid cycle. One of the most unique in Olympic history. Paris gets exactly what they set out for. LA gets a consolation prize that really doesn't seem like one.
Meanwhile, the much-maligned IOC comes out as perhaps the biggest winner. Because for all the problems they've had in recent years, they're locking two Olympic Games into first-rate cities in countries that are important to the Olympic Movement while also buying themselves plenty of time to get things right. Whether or not they can is a different question.
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