Factbox: Pros and cons of the Los Angeles Olympic bid

Reuters

(This version of the story fixes typo in lead)

(Reuters) - Los Angeles this week auditioned to play the part of host of the 2024 Summer Olympics, wowing an International Olympic Committee (IOC) delegation with high-wattage star power and a fine-tuned pitch claiming LA is ready-made for the games.

Using the tag line "Follow the Sun," the campaign, led by LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, focused on how the City of Angels was not only the rational choice over competitor Paris, but also the emotional one given the city's passion for sports.

Here are the pros and cons of the LA bid to host its third Olympic Games.

PROS

Infrastructure: With its many stadiums, sports arenas and college campuses, LA already has all of the major venues it needs to stage events and house athletes. Paris, on the other hand, must build an expensive aquatic center and Olympic Village for the athletes, two costly undertakings.

Cost: LA's budget for the Games is $5.3 billion, a fraction of what recent Games have cost cities like Sochi, and does not rely on taxpayers' money. Paris, on the other hand, plans to spend $1 billion in public money, according to bid documents.

Public support: A Loyola Marymount poll found that 88 percent of Angelenos support the bid, leading Garcetti to joke that "not even sunshine" polls as high. The legacy of past Games is still visible around the city, especially with the Olympic cauldron from the 1932 edition burning atop Memorial Coliseum.

CONS

Trump: U.S. President Donald Trump's policies, notably his executive order imposing a temporary ban on travelers from six Muslim-majority countries, could prove to be a turn off for the diverse membership of the IOC.

Traffic: LA's notorious traffic could be an impediment for the millions expected to flock to the city for the Games. Organisers say spectators will be able to travel around the city using public transportation, including a beefed-up metro system, but LA is up against Paris's first-rate metro.

Paris: Bids by the City of Lights to host the Games in 1992, 2008, and 2012 were all rejected, and 2024 will mark 100 years since the French capital last hosted the Games. Many think Paris is due to host the Olympics and LA might get 2028 instead.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Ken Ferris)