L.A. hopes to boost Olympic bid by agreeing to host cycling event
The 2017 para-cycling track world championships probably won’t get a lot of attention from sports fans or the mainstream media this spring.
But with Los Angeles volunteering as a last-minute host, the Paralympic competition could end up helping the city’s bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
International Cycling Federation officials added the event in a rush – world championships are often planned a year or more in advance.
Four days of racing will be held inside the velodrome at the StubHub Center in Carson beginning on March 2.
“We are conscious that the award of this event comes late in the season for the athletes, teams and parties implicated in the organization of the event,” said Brian Cookson, the international federation’s president. “We would like to thank the U.S. Olympic Committee for organizing this important event in such a short time.”
The USOC issued a statement saying “L.A. is perfectly suited to host an event of this caliber on a tight time frame.”
The private LA 2024 bid committee has based its campaign on the idea that the region, with its array of existing sports venues, is ready-made for the Summer Games.
With the International Olympic Committee scheduled to choose a 2024 host in September — Paris and Budapest are also in the running — L.A. has taken steps to increase its visibility in the international sporting community.
At the start of the year, bid leaders went so far as to enter a float in the Rose Parade. Three local Olympians served as the grand marshals in Pasadena.
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