Los Angeles, Chicago in Olympic contest

LOS ANGELES, March 1 (UPI) -- Chicago and Los Angeles are dueling for the chance of being the U.S. candidate to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

Los Angeles has experience behind it and venues built for the 1984 Games. Chicago has the advantage of being a fresh face, a city that has never hosted an Olympics, the Chicago Tribune reported.

"Chicago is extremely formidable, but L.A. is extremely strong," said David Carter, head of the University of Southern California's Sports Business Institute. "But Chicago, with its sports will and political will, is a ready-for-prime-time challenger."

The U.S. Olympic Committee is expected to make its decision April 14. Members of the committee are in southern California this week to visit some of the facilities proposed for the games, the Tribune said.

The big question is which city stacks up best against possible international contenders. Many cities and countries have expressed interest in being the s site of the Olympics.

"We're looking for the city that has the best chance to be competitive in what we know will be a very challenging international race," Darryl Seibel, spokesman, a spokesman for the U.S. committee, told the Tribune.