Trump win won't harm LA bid, says mayor

DOHA

Donald Trump's election as US president will not harm Los Angeles' chances of winning the right to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, the city's mayor insisted on Tuesday.

Eric Garcetti was speaking to AFP ahead of the Association of National Olympic Committees' General Assembly, which begins in Doha on Tuesday.

"Our bid transcends politics," said Garcetti, when asked about the impact of Trump.

"Everyone knows the LA bid is quintessentially American."

He added that the bid had received the backing of Trump and Hillary Clinton during the recent presidential election.

There has been speculation that Trump's election victory could harm the chances of Los Angeles.

His remarks on policy issues during the campaign, especially regarding a potential ban on Muslims going to America and calling illegal Mexican immigrants rapists, could be particularly harmful to Los Angeles' bid outside the US.

During the two-day meeting, the three candidate cities for the 2024 games — Budapest, Paris as well as Los Angeles — will give a 30-minute presentation on their bids.

It will be the first detailed outline of each bid to ANOC members.

It is not yet known if the Los Angeles bidding team will address the recent presidential election in its presentation.

More than 1,000 delegates have gathered in Doha for the meeting.

Paris is seen as the favourite in a close-race for the bid to host the summer games.

The International Olympic Committee will make its final decision in September.

Los Angeles previously hosted the Olympics in 1932 and 1984.

If it wins, Los Angeles will be the first American city to host the Summer Olympics since Atlanta in 1996.