LOS ANGELES – LA 2024 today announced that the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has endorsed Los Angeles’ bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Representing six counties, 191 cities and 19 million people, SCAG’s endorsement reinforces the region’s widespread public and political support behind LA 2024.SCAG, the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization, passed a resolution stating that LA 2024’s bid aligns with the region’s long-term planning goals, from transportation to environmental sustainability. The endorsement embodies Olympic Agenda 2020 Recommendation 1, which calls on Candidate Cities to “present an Olympic project that best matches their sports, economic, social and environmental long-term planning needs.”
SCAG’s endorsement lauds LA’s bid as “a sustainable, proven plan that maximizes the city’s existing world‐class assets and requires no new permanent venue construction.” SCAG references LA 2024’s meaningful support from all levels of government, the legacy of the 1984 Games, a balanced, independently-reviewed budget, and the bid’s focus on sustainability as some of the reasons they back the bid. The organization also states that it “shares LA 2024’s belief in the power of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to unite and benefit our community.”
LA 2024 CEO Gene Sykes said: “On behalf of LA 2024, we’re grateful for the support from the Southern California Association of Governments. SCAG’s support is a testament to LA 2024’s sustainable, low-risk, and innovative approach, designed to best fit the plans of our region, not the other way around.”
