Los Angeles: Los Angeles has unveiled its logo for the city's bid for the 2024 Olympics, displaying it on a digital screen on the 30th floor of a downtown skyscraper shortly after sunset on Tuesday.
The logo is a figure of a soaring angel with outstretched arms and legs illuminated by the rays of the sun, which emanate from a point of light at the figure's heart in a palette of purple, red, orange and yellow, colours often seen in the city sky at sunrise and sunset. The city's slogan for the bid is “Follow the Sun.”
Broadcast online, the ceremony was attended by Mayor Eric Garcetti, LA 2024 chairman Casey Wasserman, retired Olympic champion swimmer Janet Evans, who is LA 2024 vice chair and director of athlete relations, and USOC chief marketing officer Lisa Baird.
“No one does imagination as we do in the city of Los Angeles,” Garcetti said.
Three-time Olympian Thiago Pereira of Brazil, who lives and trains in Los Angeles in preparation for swimming in his home country's Olympics, endorsed the city's bid.
“What I most love about Los Angeles is no one has to be an American to feel at home,” Pereira said. “Los Angeles is open-minded. Los Angeles is based on acceptance, not just tolerance. There's something here for everyone.”
Wasserman described the logo as “a fresh take on our historical imagery.”
Garcetti used the occasion to boast that 97 percent of the proposed venues for the city's bid are already in place.
“This will be an Olympics that will change our lives,” he said. “All we're asking is the opportunity to host it.”
The mayor, who delivered some remarks in Spanish and in French, pointed out the panoramic views of the city's 2024 proposed venues, coastline and mountains from the office building. Also below were long ribbons of white and red lights clogging the region's freeways with rush-hour traffic.
A short film featuring the city asked people what they will be doing in 2024. Among those featured were Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, actress Jessica Alba, comic actor Will Ferrell, four-time Olympic champion diver Greg Louganis and Evans.
The ceremony was followed by a screening of the upcoming film “Race,” which tells the story of U.S. track star Jesse Owens and his preparations for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
Los Angeles, which hosted the Olympics in 1932 and 1984, is competing against Budapest, Paris and Rome for the games. The International Olympic Committee will choose the host city in September 2017.
