Why no one wants to host the Olympics

- [Commentator] Down the back straight.

(announcer muttering indistinctly)

- [Narrator] It's September, 2017,

and members of the International Olympic Committee

are gathered to pick the city

that will host the 2024 Olympic Games,

the biggest decision this group makes.

They've put representatives

from the two competing cities on stage

for their announcement.

- With the anonymous decision we took.

- [Narrator] But everyone who's here already knows who won.

- [Announcer] Please raise your hand.

- [Narrator] Every four years,

more than 5 million people attend the Olympics,

and over 3 billion watch it on TV.

It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity

for one city to show up,

and the competition has typically been fierce.

12 cities applied to host the 2004 games

before the IOC picked Athens, Greece.

10 applied for 2008, won by Beijing, China.

But since then, interest has been waning.

Nine cities applied for 2012, then seven, then five,

and for 2024, only two were left

when it was time for a vote,

so the IOC did something it's never done before.

- Paris, '24, Los Angeles, '28.

(audience applauding and cheering)

- [Andrew] IOC was so concerned that nobody would bid

to host the games in 2028,

that it simultaneously awarded the games 2024 to Paris

and 2028 to Los Angeles.

There used to be a strong demand to host. Now, there isn't.

- [Narrator] The Olympics are the most prestigious

sports event in the world.

Why doesn't anyone wanna host it anymore?

(upbeat electronic music)

(crowds cheering)