It is Los Angeles’ turn with the flame. The Olympic flag was handed to Mayor Karen Bass at the closing ceremony in Paris on Sunday then passed on to Tom Cruise, a significant representative of LA’s local business community. In a pre-recorded journey by motorcycle, plane and parachute, he heralded the countdown to 2028.
This will make it the third city ever to stage the games three times after previously hosting them in 1932 and 1984. Here is a backward look and forward into the future at LA’s Olympics.
LA’s Olympic trilogy Following its selection as the host for 2024, Paris was given the consolation prize of having Los Angeles host the 2028 games.
In La’s first Olympics held in 1932 only this city bid for them because of depression and boycotts from some countries. However; there were memorable sporting moments from athletes such as United States athlete Babe Didrikson Zaharias who won gold medals in new women’s events like javelin tosses as well as hurdles.
The city’s ‘84 Games gained global acceptance due to financial success among other factors that made every major metropolis desire its own version referred to as “good” Olympics.
Hence, with help from Hollywood emphasizing both modernity and antiquity, decathlon champion Rafer Johnson ignited a torch, a man parachuted into Memorial Coliseum wearing a jetpack while theme music composed by John Williams played in background-Star Wars composer.
During this period when Eastern Bloc countries boycotted, America dominated. Some of these household names were: Carl Lewis and Mary Lou Retton. Michael Jordan guided men’s basketball team to gold medal when he was still young back then.
For quite sometime after that, the city’s prominence began being restored through these games which had long been considered over.
“We want our games to be youthful modern Games that are full of Southern California’s optimism for people all around the world,” Janet Evans, a four-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming and LA28 organizing committee’s chief athlete officer, said to the Associated Press in Paris.
Giving up the torch Bass returned on Monday and spoke about how the “Olympics were for everyone; even those who never played any games” as she also cited examples of dance classes that taught breakdancing prior to some competitions and watch parties held by nearby cities.
Others with her included LA28 Chairperson Casey Wasserman, an entertainment executive, and LA councilmember Traci Park, chair of the city Olympic committee.
City council president Paul Krekorian who came together with Bass to bring the Olympic flag stated that “This is going to be the only place in this whole world that has had three Olympics which have been profitable.”
Both old and new venues plus one pool for swimming To this end, Amid a stadium-and-arena boom LA hopes instead to renovate existing facilities rather than constructing new ones.
“It is not a building game,” Evans confirmed.
After Paris’ innovative opening ceremony on Seine River, LA will begin its own with a traditional stadium-based approach at SoFi Stadium located in neighboring Inglewood but incorporating ‘Los Angeles’ century-old Memorial Coliseum.
Opened in 2020, SoFi is the home of two NFL teams and has hosted Super Bowls as well as multiple Taylor Swift shows. It will become the biggest Olympic swimming facility ever, according to organizers. Swimming will come after athletics in the opening ceremony for the first time since 1972.
The Clippers’ new stadium in Inglewood, Intuit Dome would be one of the newest major venues for Olympics basketball games. Gymnastics will take place at the Crypto.com Arena downtown.
It was a big deal when Paris started talking about how toxic it’s river water had become due to swimming. This could give Long Beach waterfront a fresh look once marathon swimming and triathlon races are done here. While its cleanliness record has been chequered, nonprofit Heal the Bay found consistently good ocean water in an assessment done in 2023.
The pre-recorded performances for Sunday’s show by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre took place along the Long Beach shoreline but some people mistook it for LA’s Venice beach where Cruise had just shown his journey with that flag ending moments ago.
Trains and traffic That’s why hosting the Games seems like a strange choice for a city known to have poor transportation connections.
Bass said she plans to follow Tom Bradley’s strategy during 1984 Olympics which left many believing there were better traffic times than non-Olympic years including requesting local companies change work hours so as reduce cars on roads while allowing employees work from home over this period of seventeen days games.
In 2017, L.A.’s Mayor then Eric Garcetti secured the Olympics thereby giving them more time than normal cities planning such events.
LA has even laid a subway since last hosting The Metro In 2028 and it runs past all major events areas around town.
Meanwhile, in 2018 a plan was announced to significantly increase public transport through 28 new bus and rail ventures. While some were cancelled, others went ahead such as the subway line which was extended to connect UCLA, the future home of the Olympic Village, with downtown Los Angeles.
Yet another big issue is whether or not Inglewood People Mover would be ready to move passengers among key Olympic arenas in three stops by the time Olympics start. Issues arose after it was initially given $1 billion federal funding but opposition from a Democrat congresswoman Maxine Waters saw that figure reduced by as much as 200 million dollars, Los Angeles Times says. Therefore, it may never happen before 2028.
The Metro has just secured $139 million out of a total of $900 million recently allocated for infrastructure development across America under Biden’s administration aimed at enhancing transport systems by 2028 with an aim of achieving a “car-free” Olympic event.
“The biggest challenge is not waiting to 2028, but really taking the opportunity between now and 2028 to help Angelenos and visitors alike reimagine the transportation network as something that will be their first choice,” added Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins.
Crime perception and safety At this moment when crime rates had already increased in 1984 compared to today’s levels, more people have been discussing about it on social media towards these games in 2028.
The U.S. Secret Service is responsible for designing a security system for national special security events like Olympics with significant federal supports included.
LA city and county law enforcement sent officers to Paris so that they could observe, learn and help them prepare for their own 2028 games.
In comparison to the year 1984, there are many more encampments on the streets of Los Angeles, so it’s doubtful whether LA will solve its homeless crisis within four years. However, California Governor Gavin Newsom threatened to take away funds from cities that were unable to clear out shantytowns when ‘Paris’ games ended.
To avoid disturbances during the Paris Olympics, the authorities relocated thousands of homeless people. This happened in Rio de Janeiro before the 2016 Olympic Games and was criticized by activists as “social cleansing.”
According to Adam Burke, CEO of LA Tourism and Convention Board, Tourists and finances LA is the “next logical destination” for the Olympics. “LA is now one of the major sport centers in the world”, he said.
At first though, FIFA World Cup event and U.S women’s open will be held at Los Angeles City in 2026 followed by another Super Bowl in 2027.
Within Four Years alone however it has added 9000 new hotel rooms with even more coming on line over next four years.
The expected source of funding for LA28 organizers comes through ticket sales, sponsorships as well as payments by International Olympic Committee (IOC) among others which are projected at $6.9bn. It has generated slightly above $1 billion while aspiring to raise $2.5 billion through national corporate sponsorships since its inception.
Noreen Nassir an Associated Press Writer contributed from Paris.
