Olympics to Return to L.A.? One Local Councilman is Lighting the Torch

With the spirit of the London Olympics still lingering in the air, Los Angeles Councilman Tom LaBonge was expected to make a call Friday for Los Angeles to bid to host a future Olympics. 

An aide to LaBonge said the councilman will introduce a motion during Friday's City Council meeting calling on the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games to "explore a future bid."

Los Angeles hosted the Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984.

During the 1984 event, the city of Cerritos played an integral part of the Olympic Games with several Olympians using the at for swimming practices. 

"Los Angeles has the weather and the history," LaBonge said in a statement. "And now, with 45 London medals to Los Angeles' name, we have the athletes, too."

LaBonge did not specify when he wants to see the games return to L.A. but floated the possibility of hosting in 2032 to mark 100 years since the city hosted its first Olympic Games.

A draft of LaBonge's motion called for the Southern California and U.S. Olympic Committees to analyze the appropriate time for the city to host the games.

"While the next opportunity to bid on the summer Olympics would be for 2024, that would mean the Olympics will not have been in the United States for 28 years since the games of Atlanta in 1996," the draft motion reads. "While other great cities of the world will be competing for consideration, perhaps from the African continent, it is the hope of Angelenos to one day host, for a third time, the Olympic Games."

LaBonge called the 1984 games, which many consider to have been a great success, "an amazing experience not only for the athletes, many of whom called Los Angeles home, but for all Angelenos to partake in a universal event that celebrated the successes of our fellow man."

- City News Service and MarieSam Sanchez contributed to this report.

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