PARIS, France — From the City of Love to the City of Angels, planning for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is well underway and organizers are paying close attention to what's worked, and what hasn't, so far in Paris.
It will be LA's third time hosting the Olympics — the last time was 40 years ago — and first time hosting the Paralympic Games.
Janet Evans remembers sitting in the stands at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during the opening ceremony for the 1984 Summer Olympics as a 12-year-old.
“I remember watching those athletes march out behind their country’s flags in their beautiful opening ceremony uniforms and thinking, ‘I want to do that,’" Evans said.
That was before she went on to win four gold medals and set world records as a U.S. Olympic swimmer. Now, as chief athlete officer for LA2028, the organizing committee bringing the games to LA, she is focused on giving a voice to athletes and their concerns.
“Having lived in three Olympic Villages and having competed in three Olympic Games ... it’s really important to understand what the athletes are experiencing,” Evans said.
Much of the focus will be on hearing from athletes about their concerns after the Games are over. But Evans said some of the concerns that have been floated in the last few weeks — reports of uncomfortable beds, limited air conditioning and food shortages — won't be an issue in LA, which plans to house the athletes on the UCLA campus.
“We feed thousands of students a day. UCLA houses thousands of students a day and so we’re tried and tested and true," she said. “I eat the food once a week, at least, at UCLA, which is delicious. So I can vouch for that.”
As for concerns specific to Los Angeles, top of mind for many is the gridlocked traffic on freeways and streets in the City of Dreams and Hollywood.
Evans said the plan is to work around some challenges by making deliveries for athletes late at night, work with companies to implement a more robust work-from-home plan for employees in the Southern California region for the duration of the Games and institute “Olympic lanes” to ensure athletes can “get from point A to point B quicker.”
The official handoff to Los Angeles will take place on Sunday evening during the closing ceremony in Paris. Evans hopes the buildup in the next four years and LA's own opening ceremony will inspire a new generation of spectators to follow their dreams.
“That’s what the Olympics do — they change people’s lives," Evans said. "I think that’s why everyone loves the Olympics. It brings people together.”