LA organisers not ‘saving’ Games as 11year wait begins

PARK CITY, United States: Organisers of the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics dismissed the idea they are saving the Olympic movement even as they begin an unprecedented 11-year wait to stage the Games.

LA2028 bid chairman Casey Wasserman said Tuesday at a US Olympic Committee event previewing next year’s Winter Olympics that the deal to bring Paris the 2024 Games and LA the 2028 Olympics brings security to the International Olympic Committee ( IOC).

“I don’t think the Olympic movement needs s av i ng,” Was s erman s a id. “Ever y organisation needs to evolve. I think the Olympic movement has looked ahead to the future and made changes that will strengthen it for years to come. What LA and Paris are doing is producing security for the Olympic movement at a special time. You can have a great deal of certainty looking ahead and that’s something the IOC and a lot of cities haven’t had.”

After being awarded the 2028 Olympics by the IOC two weeks ago at Lima, LA2028 bid officials have enjoyed some of f time before making the transition into an organising committee by January.

“We are riding high from Lima,” Wasserman said. “The IOC called our bid mind-blowing and called us California cool so I’ll take both those things. We’re going to have two assets most host cities have never had. That’s time and money and we’re going to put them to use in ways not seen by an Olympic host city before.”

Some 15,000 volunteers are already signed on for the 2028 Olympics. LA2028 received US$ 180 million from the IOC for making the deal, US$160 million of which will be spent on city youth sports to build excitement for the Olympics and a legacy for beyond the event.

“Excitement in the long term is first and foremost about the success of Olympic athletes. Every time they compete is an opportunity for us,” Wasserman said. “You can’t keep a high level of engagement but there are lots of opportunities to engage people and keep them excited about athletes that will compete in LA in 11 years.”

A new Olympic television network and five Winter and Summer Olympics between now and 2028 offer such chances.

“This is a big opportunity. It requires us getting it right,” Wasserman said. “While we have lots of time it’s the one thing we can’t get more of. As we get closer to July 2028 I believe we’ll wonder where all the time went and wish we had more time to get ready.”

Some decisions and spending will be delayed to more of a routine Olympic schedule, in part because of how the world might change in 11 years, something Wasserman noted when he spoke with futuristinventor Elon Musk.

“He said, ‘ Wow, I can’t even imagine what the world is going to be like then,’” said Wasserman.

“I thought, ‘If he can’t imagine what the world is going to be like in 11 years, how am I supposed to do it?’” — AFP