L.A. Submits Domestic Bid Books for 2016 Olympic Games to United States Olympic Committee

Los Angeles’ Bid Embodies a California Promise and Games Dedicated to Athletes

A powerful combination of tradition and state-of-the-art programs
and facilities create unique bid

Los Angeles will combine its long-standing Olympic tradition and know-how, with leading edge facilities, culture, climate and appeal to the broadest possible audience.

“We offer the United States Olympic Committee a very compelling bid submission for Los Angeles to host the 2016 Olympic Games,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “Los Angeles is where the whole world comes together, and if chosen, we will bring all that is California to the athletes, to the Olympic Movement, and to the world.”
Los Angeles’ bid includes the use of historic Olympic venues like the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, new state-of-art facilities like the Home Depot Center and the Staples Center arena which did not exist at the time of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The SCCOG plan also includes the combined resources of UCLA, which will serve as the Olympic Village for the athletes, and USC, which will serve as the Media/Family Village.

“Because we can stage the Games with almost no construction of permanent facilities, we can turn our attention to building human spirit, human achievement and joy – the fundamental Olympic values,” said Barry Sanders, chairman of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games.

One of the many ways that the Los Angeles bid will break new ground in this area is in creating a state-wide Olympic cultural program, ‘Peak Performance.’

“It will be unprecedented in its size and scope making the connection between brilliance in athletic performance and brilliance in every intellectual and artistic pursuit for which this state is known, from scholarly debate to great food and wine,” Sanders said.

Los Angeles is one of just two U.S. cities remaining under consideration to be the (USOC) candidate to the International Olympic Committee to host the 2016 games. The USOC has said that it will make a final decision on April 14, 2007 and fully intends to nominate the winning city to the IOC for the international competition.

“Los Angeles provides a higher stage on which the athletes can perform, and we will employ our star power to put a spotlight on their achievements,” said Sanders. “We will capture the imagination of the whole world for the Games and the athletes.

Los Angeles has been the host of two of the most successful Olympic Games in the history of the movement, in 1932 and in 1984. The city’s creative prowess and financial strength provide critical underpinning on which all else is built.

“In bidding, we make these commitments: we will use our ample resources, including our outstanding ingenuity, creativity, high technology, energy, climate, facilities, stable finances and personal determination in services to the Olympic movement and the athletes,” said Sanders.

About the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games (SCCOG)
Formed in 1939, the SCCOG is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the Olympic movement in Southern California. Since its inception, the SCCOG has bid for the Olympic Games on behalf of and in conjunction with the City of Los Angeles, garnering the award of the Games for 1984. Hailed world-wide for their near-flawless organization, the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles generated an operating surplus of $235 million (in 1984 dollars). Further information about the SCCOG can be found on their website at www.sccog.org.