Olympic Dreaming: Film Makes Case For LA's 2024 Bid [Video]

LOS ANGELES, CA — Now that LA 2024 has submitted its official bid book to the International Olympic Committee, it released a video preview Friday of its latest series -- "What's Not in the Bid Book."

The series will highlight LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman providing "a view of LA through the eyes of a lifelong Angeleno, telling the story of why L.A. is uniquely positioned to connect the Games with a new generation of Olympic and Paralympic enthusiasts," according to LA 2024.

The committee's bid was submitted to the IOC on time for Friday's final deadline.

L.A. is competing with Paris and Budapest, Hungary for the Games, and the host city will be chosen in September.

"Now that we have submitted our bid book, we wanted to show the world `What's not in the bid book' -- a fun and surprising side to LA. When people think about LA, they think right away about our weather, about Hollywood, and the beach, but LA is so much more than that," Wasserman said.

"Leading up to the IOC's final vote in eight months time, this series will paint an intimate picture of our city, giving viewers the inside scoop on where to buy the rarest sneakers in L.A., the best hikes in L.A., the companies that are reinventing the world that are based here in L.A., and much more."

On Thursday, hundreds of Angelenos gathered at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a sunrise celebration" of the submission of the bid.

The Coliseum was the host of the opening and closing ceremonies for the 1932 and 1984 Games, and will again share the duty with the new NFL stadium under construction in Inglewood should the city play host again.

"As LA 2024 enters the international campaign, it's important for us as a city to remember just what we're bidding for: the world's greatest sporting event, significant economic benefits, and a chance to place L.A.'s extraordinary creativity and innovation at the service of the Olympic Movement," Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

"But perhaps above all else, Los Angeles is bidding to unite the youth of the world in friendship and peace through sport in 2024."

LA 2024 has proposed a privately financed, balanced budget of $5.3 billion for the Games, although Los Angeles must cover any budget shortfalls.

A core part of the balanced budget plan is to only use existing venues like the Coliseum and Staples Center and not build any new permanent buildings just for the Games, and to capitalize on the billions of transportation improvements the city already has planned.

However, recent reports in the media have suggested that President Donald Trump's executive orders on immigration -- which included banning travel to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries-- may significantly harm L.A.'s bid.

Alma College professor Derick L. Hulme, author of "The Political Olympics: Moscow, Afghanistan, and the 1980 U.S. Boycott, " told the Orange County Register this week that the first 10 days of the Trump administration was "a catastrophe" for Los Angeles' bid.

USA Friday also reported on Monday that an unnamed official with U.S. Olympics said Trump's immigration policies are harming L.A.'s bid.

"If selected, we will show the world a sustainable and low-risk Games that gathers nations together, showcases American values, and brings benefits, not burdens, to our community," Garcetti told City News Service.

"I am confident that the IOC will evaluate our bid on these merits, and I am more committed than ever to bringing the Games back to L.A. in 2024."

Anyone interested in seeing the bid book or the preview to the video series can visit LA24.org.

City News Service; Image: Youtube Screengrab