The International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission made its first in-person visit to Los Angeles this week to inspect proposed venues for the 2028 Games.
After being sidelined due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the group met with local organization officials for three days.
“We are well positioned for an exceptional event,” LA28 Organizing Committee Chairman Casey Wasserman said Thursday at a press conference on the UCLA campus, site of the future Athletes’ Village.
He expressed optimism about the games’ business prospects, citing several corporate sponsors already on board and more to come in the fourth quarter.
“We’re sitting in a very strong position,” Wasserman said. “The appetite for games returning to this country is very strong.” Members of the Coordinating Commission visited several sites across the city, including the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, site of the 1932 and 1984 Games, and SoFi Stadium, home of the NFL’s Rams and Chargers, near Inglewood .
“The venues that are going to be used are a mix of historic venues used for the 1932 and 1984 Olympics, and of course we have world-class modern venues that have been built since the Games were held in 1984,” said the chairman of the committee. Nicole Hoevertz. “We have this nice mix of old and new.” The Intuit Dome will be operational by the time the games take place. Wasserman noted that the future home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers is slated to open in 2024 across the street from SoFi Stadium, although currently it is not listed in any site plans.
The commission toured the Obama Sports Complex to see the PlayLA youth sports program in action. LA28 and the IOC have invested $160 million to make the sport more accessible to young people across the city.
Hoevertsz called it an example of the games “creating a legacy now, today for these kids.” The 2028 Olympics will take place from July 14-30, followed by the Paralympics from August 15-27. The Olympic Games will have 10,000 athletes, while the Paralympics will host 5,000.
(This story has not been edited by the Devdiscourse team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)