Awarding 2024, 2028 Olympics Simultaneously 'Great for Judo'

(ATR) International Judo Federation president Marius Vizer says awarding two Olympics at a time would benefit his sport and the Olympic Movement.

"For judo it could be great and I think would it make things easier for the next bid strategy," Vizer tells Around the Rings during a live Q-and-A session on Twitter.

The International Olympic Committee is strongly considering awarding both the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics at its IOC Session this September in Lima, Peru as a result of another trying bidding process for the Olympic leaders.

Los Angeles and Paris are the only two cities remaining in the 2024 bid race following the withdrawals of Budapest, Rome and Hamburg at various stages in the process. The 2024 race is following the same, sorry path of the 2022 Winter Olympics that saw a field of six candidate cities diminish to two by the final vote.

Although awarding two Games at once is gaining support from IOC and International Federations leaders alike, Los Angeles and Paris bid leaders are adamant they are only vying for the 2024 Games at this time.

The IOC will elect the 2024 host city on Sep. 13 before deciding if it will offer the second place finisher the option to host the 2028 Games.

Vizer also intimated to ATR that the IJF is seeking another competition format to join the Olympic program at the next Summer Games in Tokyo.

"In Tokyo I hope to get the team event in which will be the step to the next standard of the development of our sport," Vizer says. "Tokyo 1964 wrote history for our sport and through the team event we can design a new future for our sport."

This ambition may prove difficult at the next Olympics as the IOC has already approved five new sports to be added to the program. The scheduling difficulties that will arise with the additional events would likely cause the IOC to exercise caution in expanding the program for mainstays in the Olympics.

The Tokyo 2020 Games are scheduled for July 24 to Aug. 9.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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