The cards have changed in the race for the Summer Games in 2024. Los Angeles and Paris now alone in the running, the option of a double vote 2024-2028 brandished by the IOC as a now probable scenario, an elective session undoubtedly moved from Lima to Dubai or Abu Dhabi… Five months before the vote, the scene becomes very vague. The American candidacy, for its part, maintains its course of action. Its general manager, Gene Sykes (photo below), explained this to FrancsJeux.

FrancsJeux: What is your position, today, on the option of a double vote 2024-2028 during the next IOC session?

Gene Sykes: She hasn't changed. Our position is still the same, we expressed it in a press release at the beginning of the week. And it was already a reflection of what we thought from the beginning. We appreciate that the IOC is looking into the question of the procedure for designating cities, we are ready to support it in its reflection. But we are exclusively focused on our bid for the Games in 2024.

So you are ruling out the option of the Games in 2028?

We didn't say that. We said that we were focused on the 2024 Games. And, at the same time, we are working with the IOC to advance its thinking.

Is it possible that the two candidate cities will find an agreement on this double vote themselves?

It is not possible to speculate on such a scenario. And I wouldn't. I can give you all the information I can about 2024, an issue that requires all our energy, resources and attention. The rest is just speculation.

Does this scenario of a possible double vote change your strategy?

No. The question is not up to us. Its responsibility lies with the IOC working group called to work on this option. Our strategy is always the same. We are now focused on the next step in the process, the IOC Evaluation Commission's visit to Los Angeles, scheduled for May 9-12. We devote a lot of time and energy to it, because its members will go to almost all of the sites in our system. This stage promises to be very intense.

Looking back after two days, what do you think of your presentation to the international federations at the SportAccord Convention in Aarhus?

She satisfied us. We spent a lot of time on it, with several rehearsals. We wanted to be sure to deliver the message we want to convey to the international federations. The return was very good. We said everything that was important to us.

You placed a lot of emphasis on the spectacle, on the notion of entertainment – ​​“entertainment” – of your candidacy. Why is this so important?

I wouldn't say we emphasize entertainment. We emphasize the particular character of Los Angeles, a city geared towards young people. Technology, entertainment, media are at the heart of Los Angeles, especially for young people. The company that invented Snapchat is based in this city. We believe that the Olympic Games must today move towards novelty, youth, freshness, creativity... When we talk about the Games with the people who are at the origin of these new developments, they immediately respond that they want to be involved. They want to be there, they want to help. By associating the Games with this community, we can address one of the major challenges of the Olympic movement: connecting Olympism with the new generation.

Last November, in Doha, the first presentation of the candidate cities was very marked by the Trump effect. There was no question of it this week in Aarhus. Is the subject no longer relevant?

In Doha, the election of Donald Trump had just taken place. People were curious about how we handled it and what we thought about it. Today, concerns have shifted to questions about the cost of the Games, the selection process, and the candidacies themselves. The Trump subject is no longer new.

Can he return to the center of the debate?

We do not believe that the Games are affected by political issues. IOC members look well beyond that. They are interested in what the candidatures can bring to the Games. Not politics.

Today, are you satisfied with the progress of your candidacy campaign?

Yes. We presented our vision clearly. We still have a few new features and surprises to announce. They should strengthen the perception of IOC members about our strategy and the way we want to organize the Games. We are confident. Today we have many more relationships and exchanges with IOC members than during our first presentation last November in Doha. At the time, they were just starting to think about the 2024 Games. Today, they are much more focused on the issue.