It will be the first Summer Olympics in the United States since the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, and the first Olympics in the United States since the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. The 2016 Games will be the largest sporting event ever held in the state of Connecticut.
The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), IOC President Thomas Bach, said at a press conference on August 2, 2015, that Germany has been chosen to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The decision was made at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The session voted 40 years after the Munich games with only West Germany's Olympic committee voting against the proposal for their own city, Hamburg, to host the event. The announcement ends a golden era for German sport which had seen four other events selected by the committee: the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and now the 2024 Olympics in Paris. France had previously refused to host the event due to doubts about government support following financial problems with the previous host country, London, who failed to deliver on their promise of funding for the project. French President François Hollande is set to officially announce the news at a ceremony in Paris on July 31, 2016.
American athletes have won two gold medals in the last eight Olympics: Carl Lewis in 1988 and Michael Johnson in 1992.
The United States has hosted the Summer Olympic Games four times: the 1904 Games in St. Louis, Missouri; the 1932 and 1984 Games in Los Angeles, California; and the 1996 Games in Atlanta, Georgia. The United States also represented itself at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, but it did not have its own team because President Woodrow Wilson had declared American neutrality in World War I.
Americans have competed under their own flag at every Summer Olympic games except for 1904 and 1980. Women's basketball is the only sport in which Americans are still pre-eminent, having won every single gold medal since the event was introduced at the 1972 Munich Games. In other sports, such as swimming, tennis, and track and field, foreign athletes have caught up to or surpassed America's performance.
The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is a private organization that is responsible for administering all aspects of U.S. participation in the Olympic Movement. It is supported by its member organizations, which include national governing bodies for each of the branches of the armed forces, as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Division I NCAA schools, and the National Basketball Association (NBA).
U.S. athletes have won a total of 528 medals at the Summer Olympics, including 165 gold medals - more than any other country.
In addition, the United States has hosted the Winter Olympic Games nine times: Lake Placid, New York (1920 and 1924); St. Moritz, Switzerland (1928); Squaw Valley, California (1960); Innsbruck, Austria (1964); Grenoble, France (1968); Sapporo, Japan (1972); Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992); and Salt Lake City, Utah (2008).
Of these cities, only Athens (1900), Amsterdam (1920), Berlin (1936), London (1948), Chicago (1956), Pasadena (1982), and Moscow (1980) have previously hosted the Games more than once. Amsterdam and Berlin each hosted for the second time. Chicago and Los Angeles each hosted for the third time. Moscow and Beijing each hosted for the fourth time. The last three cities to host the Olympics were all European cities that had previously hosted in 1920, 1936, and 1948. No American city has ever hosted the Olympics more than once.
Salt Lake City was the first U.S. city to host both the Summer and Winter Games.
The Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles for the first time since Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympics in 2002. Indeed, Salt Lake City has indicated interest in hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics, which would mean that the United States could host the Games two years earlier if chosen. The IOC will vote on the host city for the 2028 Summer Olympics on July 15 at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires.
Los Angeles was awarded the Games in 1933 when Chicago failed to deliver the required number of votes. The U.S. Olympic Committee is responsible for selecting the host city and has selected LA because of its willingness to pay more than other cities interested in hosting the Games. The IOC requires that each city commit to spending at least $15 million towards sports facilities for use by athletes and officials during the Games.
Salt Lake City was considered a strong candidate for the 2024 Olympics before Paris withdrew itself from consideration due to concerns over security following terrorist attacks in France. No other city submitted a bid for 2024 so Los Angeles was awarded that year's Games.
LA was also considered a strong candidate for the 2028 Olympics before Montreal announced its intention to withdraw itself from consideration due to financial difficulties. No other city submitted a bid for 2028 so Los Angeles was awarded those Games as well.
Copyright © 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc.
