After battling it out for a coveted spot to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, it seems that Paris has won against its rival host city Los Angeles.

But Los Angeles hasn't come out as a loser. In fact, the city has been able to leverage its acquiescence against the International Olympic Committee to not only guarantee its position as host of the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, but also to procure a "$1.8 billion bursary to fund the extended planning period and support youth sports programs."

The only issue is, it all seems a little too easy: despite cost of the games being a major factor in choosing who will host them, Paris won out over L.A. even though the West Coast city projected lower costs of $5.3 billion. It is making some question whether it was worth it for L.A. to back out and play its cards.

"I wonder if this was a missed opportunity for more input," said Jules Boykoff, who teaches political science at Pacific University in Oregon and has studied previous Games. "What did people want them to ask for?"

© Kinetic Imagery / bigstockphoto.com

Moreover, tension is brewing over seemingly exorbitant costs. While Paris seems to be a prime location, it could be the site of the most expensive Olympic Games yet: researchers from Oxford University Said Business School estimate that Olympic Games since 1960 have cost "an average of $4.6 billion, rising to $8.9 billion in the past decade."

On the other hand, many believe Paris is perfectly primed to be the ideal host in 2024 because of its Grand Paris Express and impeccable transportation system. The city claims it has 95% infrastructure already set for the Olympics and is planning to initiate an orbital line in the future whose development could be sped up by the prospect of the games.

According to citylab.com, "Track-and-field events and the opening and closing ceremonies can nest comfortably in the Stade de France, the long-planned stadium completed for the 1998 soccer World Cup. Tennis and boxing events should do fine with the Roland Garros Stadium, the tennis center that hosts the annual French Open, while martial arts can fit into the elaborate exhibition space of the Grand Palais. But it's Paris's excellent transit network that make it singularly well placed to manage its load of Olympic visitors smoothly."

© Leonard Zhukovsky / bigstockphoto.com

Having had failed bids to host the games in 1992, 2008 and 2012, French officials insisted that Paris triumph to obtain 2024 as its host date, on the 100th anniversary of when the city hosted the games in 1924.

Either way, speculation regarding L.A.'s easy step-down from the deal still lingers. Yet, Mayor Eric Garcetti correctly notes that "If they're done well, the Games can pay economic and civic dividends long after any Olympic-sized traffic jams are cleared."

Whether he's right, only time will tell, but one must hope that the classic Olympian mistake of understating budgets is not repeated this time around.