As the United States prepares to host two Olympic Games plus soccer and rugby World Cups over the next decade, Orlando, Florida, is setting out to bring more international sporting events to its region, including an eventual Florida Olympics.

The central Florida city, known as the home of top theme parks like Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort, has ambitious plans to throw its hat in the ring to host trials for the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

Orlando is also aiming to be a host city for the men's and women's Rugby World Cups in 2031 and 2033, Jason Siegel, CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, told Reuters in an interview at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.

Domestic events have been the "bread and butter" for Orlando, which has hosted WrestleMania and college basketball championships, among other marquee events.

With all the activity in the U.S. over the next few years, "our community has basically said to me, 'let's get the word out'. There's an appetite to be very aggressive in the space," Siegel said.

The Greater Orlando Sports Commission, which works on behalf of the city of Orlando and neighboring counties, has increased its annual budget to place bids for sport events to $10 million from $4 million, with the potential to continue growing that number.

A bid for the ultimate sport competition – the Olympics – would take years and is unlikely to happen before the 2040s. The effort would require the backing of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Florida state officials and commercial partners. Joining forces with other Florida cities such as Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa would be beneficial, Siegel said.

Until then, the region seeks to pursue stepping stones and, in February, hosted the Olympic Marathon Trials, which ran through downtown Orlando.

The commission has the backing of Disney and Universal, since sports fans may extend their stays in order to visit the theme parks. Both entertainment giants joined meetings with world soccer's governing body FIFA when Orlando pursued becoming one of the U.S. host cities for the 2026 World Cup, Siegel said.

There are plenty of aspects that work to Orlando's advantage, he said, including a newly built airport terminal, a high-speed rail line between Orlando and Miami and 45 existing venues in the region.

The weather, on the other hand, could worry sport federations as Florida summers are marked by heat, humidity and hurricanes.

Siegel said the commission does not attempt to hide such factors and has experience planning around them, including during the Olympic Marathon Trials.

"There were conversations about what time of day we were going to run. Are we going to run at noon? Are we going to run at 8 o'clock in the morning?" he said.

Ultimately, weather conditions are a typical risk assessment for sport rights holders and the level of preparation may be no different than a cold climate, Siegel added.

"We can assure them of no blizzards."