The torch that ignited Los Angeles' second Olympic games 30 years ago blazed again Thursday, and with it, the hope that the event would return to the City of Angels.
For Chris Robles, an Angeleno and mascot of the 1984 LA Olympics, it was a life-changing event and a moment of pride.
"It transformed me," said Robles, who donned the 80-pound "Sam the Eagle" costume in the middle of summer.
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But not everyone was thrilled.
"Because of crime, because of gridlock," said David Simon, the president of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games.
But when it was over, the surplus funds from the games helped establish LA84, which has expanded youth sports programs.
Some businessmen are looking ahead at LA hosting The Games in 2024.
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"We have the infrastructure," Simon said. "We can do it."
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti is pushing for the Olympics to come back. Last week, he traveled to Colorado Springs to discuss with the U.S. Olympics Committee how America can present the strongest possible bid. If LA were to win the bid, it'd be the third time the city hosted The Games.
Boston, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. are also in the running. A decision on which city will win is not expected until early 2015, the organization said.
