Donald Trump tweets about US Olympics as it becomes clear that Los Angeles will probably host games

The president's intervention came after candidates presented their plans

(Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Donald Trump says that he is "working hard to get the Olympics" to take place in LA.

But the intervention came after the pitches were presented to the International Olympic Committee, and at a time that it seems obvious the city will almost certainly get to host the games.

The International Olympic Committee will soon vote on whether the Olympic host cities should be decided in a dual award, giving away the 2024 and 2028 tournaments at once. That has been recommended by the IOC's executive board and it would be very unusual for the organisation to vote against such a recommendation.

If the IOC does decide that it will decide on both games on 13 September, it's almost certain that the two current candidates will win, with Paris and Los Angeles hosting the two games. The only decision left will be which of the cities hosts in which year.

That means that Mr Trump's tweet – which read "Working hard to get the Olympics for the United States (L.A.). Stay tuned!" – may be an attempt to take credit for a pitch that has already been made and a decision that is almost certain to go his way.

It may be that Mr Trump's instruction to "stay tuned" was a reference to the imminent decision on the plan to award the two games at once, which will be taken very soon. But the final decision of whether LA wins won't be taken until the autumn.

Bidders from the US have said that if LA or Paris lose, it will be difficult to encourage cities to bid in the future. Giving the two candidates games helps avoid that awkward situation, officials have suggested.

Four other cities – Boston, Hamburg, Rome and Budapest – have withdrawn their bids, leaving only the two potential hosts ready to bid.