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MONACO, Monaco - With the IOCs new bidding process now in place, the race for the 2024 Olympics is primed to take off.The U.S. Olympic Committee will make a decision next week on whether to bid and may even select a city to put forward, making a choice among Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington.Were not in it to come in fourth, third or second, USOC chairman Larry Probst said Tuesday, setting the stage for a contest that could also include Paris, Rome, Berlin or Hamburg and other cities.The 2024 campaign is ready to move forward after the International Olympic Committee approved a raft of changes Monday that include a revised process designed to make bidding less expensive and more attractive to potential candidates.The new system includes an invitation phase where interested countries and cities discuss their plans with the IOC in advance of bidding to tailor the project to their own needs and conditions.I dont think it has much of an impact on our process, Probst said. I dont think any of these reforms have a significant impact on bidding or not bidding.IOC President Thomas Bach said Tuesday the invitation phase will begin on Jan. 15, eight months before the Sept. 15 deadline for declaration of bids.Bach said the IOC will contact all national Olympic committees interested in bidding. Meetings will be arranged in Lausanne, Switzerland, or in the potential bid cities.Its not an evaluation, Bach said. It will be up to these potential candidate cities to raise the topics they think are worthwhile. Our delegation will listen and give them any advice.Bach again ruled out reopening the bidding for the 2002 Winter Games. Scared off by high costs and other factors, several cities pulled out, leaving only Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan, in the running.Canadian member Dick Pound said the former candidates should be given the chance to rejoin the race under the new bidding rules. But Bach said it would be unfair to the two remaining contenders.Its like a 10,000-meter race, Bach said. If you pull out after five laps, you cant expect that the race will be started again.One thing is already certain for 2024: The Peruvian capital of Lima beat out Helsinki on Tuesday for the right to host the IOC session in 2017 where the vote will be held.Germany has already announced it will be bidding, with a choice between Berlin and Hamburg to be made in March. Italy is expected to announce a Rome bid on Monday. France is likely to approve a Paris bid next month.Other potential contenders include Doha, Qatar; Istanbul, Turkey; Baku, Azerbaijan; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Budapest, Hungary; and a city or region in South Africa.The United States hasnt hosted the Summer Games since 1996 in Atlanta. New York made a failed bid for the 2012 Olympics, and Chicago missed out for 2016.Thats 28 years, Probst said. Thats more than a generation. Thats a long time to not have the games in the United States.Probst said he spoke with Bach and other IOC members in Monaco who encouraged the U.S. to submit a 2024 bid.Its more along the lines of its time for the U.S. to bid and if you have a strong bid with a high-quality leadership team, good venue plan and all the other elements that are important to the membership, you have an opportunity to compete and hopefully compete successfully, he said.The USOC board will meet in California on Dec. 16 to decide whether to bid after listening to presentations from all four cities. The board could decide to choose a candidate city right away or wait a month or two.If we decide to move forward with a bid next week, I would say within 30-60 days we would probably select a city, but we could get to that next week as well, Probst said.The new IOC rules allow for events to be held outside host cities and countries in exceptional cases.I dont think the notion that you could have venues in two different cities is really applicable to a U.S. bid, so I dont think it advantages us or disadvantages us, Probst said.Los Angeles is seeking to host the Olympics for a third time after staging the games in 1932 and 1984.I think some people think its a pro, some people feel its a con, Probst said. Theyve got facilities in place, theyve done it before, but you hear some members say been there, done that, so thats one of the things we have to consider.___Follow Stephen Wilson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stevewilsonap Stitched NBA Jerseys .Fucale will not only be one of the local boys, he is also a Montreal Canadiens draft pick and will have a huge cheering section when Canada opens the tournament Dec. NBA Jerseys China . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/ . a€“ All signs point to the Maple Leafs having their top offseason acquisition in the lineup on opening night. Discount NBA Jerseys .com) - Charlie Davies netted a pair of goals, including the series-winner on Saturday, as the New England Revolution battled the New York Red Bulls to a 2-2 draw in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Championship at Gillette Stadium and advanced to MLS Cup final via a thrilling 4-3 aggregate victory. NBA Jerseys Store . That still leaves a big hole.You dont replace the leadership, defensive co-ordinator Billy Davis said. You just dont. Leadership is something that is earned over time. OTTAWA -- Henry Burris couldnt pass up the chance to help build a franchise from the ground up. The veteran quarterback signed a three-year contract with the expansion Ottawa Redblacks on Tuesday, just six days after getting released by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. "The opportunity to be a part of something fresh and new was something that my family and I just couldnt turn down," Burris said after being introduced to the media. "We had to be a part of this. This is an opportunity of a lifetime to leave your fingerprints, your footprint on a growing organization that will be around for years and years to come. "To know that we were a part of what started this, thats a great way as far as your legacy to leave a print." The move ends a whirlwind week for Burris, who was released by the Tiger-Cats after the club signed Zach Collaros to be their starting quarterback. The 38-year-old -- who was cut by Hamilton despite leading them to last seasons Grey Cup game -- should provide immediate stability and leadership for the expansion Redblacks as the CFL returns to the nations capital this season. "I really dont look at this as an expansion team," said Burris. "Last season in Hamilton we had the youngest team in the league on both sides of the ball and I was changing (diapers) day in and day out. I expect some of the same challenges (in Ottawa). "As weve seen in this league its not how you start, its how you finish and that gives you plenty of time to overcome your growing pains and to make your mistakes early on." Ottawa will be Burris fourth CFL team after stops with the Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and the Tiger-Cats. He won two Grey Cups during his time with the Stampeders and was named the games MVP in 2008. Burris led the Tiger-Cats to last seasons Grey Cup, where Hamilton fell 45-23 to Saskatchewan. He was tops in the league with 4,925 passing yards in 2013 to go along with 24 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. In 15 CFL seasons, the native of Spiro, Oklahoma, ranks fourth all-time in regular-season passing yards (51,529), touchdown passes (324) and completions (3,672). After getting his walking papers from the Tiger-Cats, Burris was immediately approached by the Redblacks and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Both teams offered enticing opportunities, but apart from getting a chance to set the standard with a new team, Ottawa offered Burris something Winnipeg couldnt -- the opportunity to play in front of his family. Knowing this would be his final contract, Burris said he has a number of relatives in Springfield, Mass., who are already looking forward to making the trip to Ottawa to see him in action. "To be close enough to family where they can actually come and spend time with our family and get to know our children and also see this guy that used to be called little Henry now playing football annd living out his dream playing professional football," he said.dddddddddddd"We have family that live about five hours away from here and trust me theyre all excited because now were playing at home for them." The Redblacks currently have three quarterbacks under contract that started CFL games last season. Ottawa acquired 34-year-old Kevin Glenn and Thomas Demarco through the expansion draft, and also has Matt Faulkner on its roster. It was widely believed that Glenn, who split time under centre with the Stampeders in 2013 and finished with 2,710 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions, would be Ottawas starter. But any question as to who would lead the team into training camp was answered when Ottawa general manager Marcel Desjardins introduced Burris as the "new starting quarterback for the Redblacks." "Kevin is a great friend of mine and it was definitely tough making that decision, especially knowing that he was going to be here," said Burris. "But this is a business and for me this is my last go-around and Kevin hes got a lot more go-arounds left in him." Desjardins said the plan right now is to head to camp with all three quarterbacks. "For us to have three quarterbacks who have started and played a lot of games in this league is a benefit to our organization," said Desjardins. "Its not to say teams wont reach out to us and we wont reach out to teams, but when we decided to make this signing we decided that if we go to camp with these three guys were probably in as good a position as anybody in the league at quarterback." Desjardins added that he hopes the signing of Burris will show other players that the organization is serious about being a contender right from the start. The Redblacks are the CFLs third attempt at a franchise in Ottawa. The Rough Riders folded in 1996 after 120 years of operation. The expansion Renegades began play in 2002, but folded after just four seasons. Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell said he looks forward to having someone with Burris experience join the team. "When we step on the practice field for the first time were not going to feel like an expansion team having players like Henry and others who have won a lot of football games," said Campbell. "Thats going to help bring us on a lot faster." Burris will be 39 by the time the team takes to the field for the regular season, but Campbell said he sees no reason for concern. "I had to compete against him as a defensive co-ordinator this last year (with Calgary) and I thought physically he looked as good hes ever looked. His arm is live and hes running around and doing all those things. If you didnt know his age you wouldnt say that hes slowing down at all." Note: The CFL announced Tuesday that free agency will begin on Feb. 11 instead of Feb. 15. ' ' '