Just when you thought the Olympics were over, for organizers and elected officials responsible for preparing Los Angeles to host the next Summer Games, talks of the 2028 Olympics will only continue to ramp up over the next four years.
Fresh off their return from Paris, we caught up with several Los Angeles leaders and key players who are heavily involved in discussions and planning for the 2028 Olympics and asked what their key impressions and takeaways were from the Summer Games that just ended – and the main issues L.A. leaders will need to tackle ahead of the ‘28 Games.
From highlighting what makes L.A. “really L.A.” and ensuring the experience is open to all Angelenos, to dealing with street homelessness and logistical challenges like transportation and security, Olympic organizers and local leaders share what they’re thinking about to make the 2028 Games a success.
Below are the highlights of their responses.
Reynold Hoover, CEO of LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games
“First and foremost what I took away from the Paris Games was the excitement from the city that you could feel building up the week before the Games started and the intensity of that excitement among Parisians, from people all over the world,” said retired Army Lt. Gen. Reynold Hoover, who is CEO of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the organizing committee for the 2028 Olympics.
“It was incredible because every venue was filled,” Hoover said. “And then when the games were over, people spilled out and went to cafés and continued to watch and continued to celebrate. That spirit is what I want to bring back. If we can (capture) that spirit … it will be a success.”
And while Paris had “incredible” and “iconic” venues like the Eiffel Tower to showcase, Hoover insisted there’s no shortage of treasures for the City of Angels to feature when it is L.A.’s turn to host the world’s biggest sporting event.
“Paris was Paris. … We are going to be L.A.,” Hoover said, noting that the plan is to celebrate L.A.’s rich culture and diversity. “We’re going to celebrate our communities and we’re going to showcase some incredible venues we have here — the (L.A. Memorial) Coliseum, the stadium in Inglewood.”
Hoover said he also wants the ‘28 Olympics and Paralympic Games to focus more on the athletes.
And while the ‘28 Olympics won’t just be a Hollywood love-fest, it’s pretty safe to expect the event will give a nod to an industry that has helped put L.A. on the map.
Hoover said a video shown during the closing ceremony at the Paris Games should give the public a “good sneak preview” of what’s in store for the ‘28 Olympics in Los Angeles. He referred to the moment when Tom Cruise rappelled into Stade de France to the theme of “Mission Impossible,” took possession of the Olympic flag and rode off with it through the streets of Paris to board a plane — followed by a prerecorded video of Cruise attaching the Olympic rings to the Hollywood Sign.
Many professional athletes and celebrities have expressed interest in being a part of LA28 and the next Summer Games, Hoover said.
The LA28 committee is working with an overall budget of $6.9 billion, according to Hoover. And to date, the committee has received commitments of more than $1 billion from domestic sponsors. With a sponsorship goal of $2.5 billion, the committee feels it’s on track to reach that goal.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
Bass led a delegation from Los Angeles to visit Paris and surrounding areas in March, in the lead up to the Summer Games, and was there again for the actual Games, including the opening and closing ceremonies.
One of her biggest takeaways from the Paris Games, she told reporters when she arrived back at LAX with the Olympic flag on Monday, was that in Paris, “people who didn’t go to the games actually had a way of participating.” For example, Bass saw a breakdancing class for people who couldn’t attend the actual breaking competition during the Olympics.
“I went to some of the surrounding cities and I saw the way they created festivals – a way for everyone to get involved, and to me, that’s one of the golden things,” Bass said.
She has repeatedly said that one of her priorities is to create opportunities for all Angelenos to be able to celebrate the Games throughout the city.
She’s also spoken about how she’d like L.A. to have a hospitality house system in 2028 similar to what France offered.
In Paris, Bass visited “hospitality houses” hosted by different nations and set up in a park. Many offered a free or low-cost venue where visitors could join a watch party — which sometimes featured food and drinks from that nation. Some also had interactive activities or exhibitions so visitors could learn more about a particular culture.
On the issue of homelessness, Bass said she saw a couple of encampments in Paris, but street homelessness did not appear prevalent where she was. She said L.A. will continue to work with city departments, and surrounding cities and county officials to address the homeless crisis here at home.
She also highlighted another priority – to make sure small local businesses benefit from the Games. The mayor’s office has reported that the city is talking to business associations about procurement and contract opportunities for small businesses ahead of the 2028 Games.
With the clock now ticking, Bass admitted that local leaders are feeling the pressure to deliver a successful Olympic Games in four years.
“We feel the pressure to make sure that our city and our region is prepared and ready and that we take full advantage of what’s going to come our way,” she said.
L.A. City Council President Paul Krekorian
Krekorian was in Paris from the opening ceremony to the closing ceremony and said he was most focused on how Olympic organizers in France dealt with crowd control – moving people efficiently through entrances and venues – and travel restrictions such as shutting down streets or modes of transportation to improve traffic flow and safety.
L.A. may want to consider having bus-only lanes or streets that only buses can drive down when the Olympics are in town, he said.
He said he was impressed by “fan activation” sites in Paris where the public could gather for free to watch an Olympic competition together on massive big screen or to take part in workshops. For example, local sports clubs offered activities like free badminton or fencing instructions.
And when there wasn’t an Olympic competition being broadcast on the big screens, local bands performed for the crowds at the “fan activation” sites.
“It was a model I’d like us to try to emulate,” Krekorian said. “It was a combination of different activities that really were a great deal of fun, and also were helpful for kids to feel a part of it.”
But to pull off something like that, Krekorian said L.A. officials and organizers will have to consider security issues – and strike a balance between having some level of security presence without making people uncomfortable.
“For people to feel safe in that kind of environment, you need to have visible security,” Krekorian said. “You just have to make sure it’s done in a way that doesn’t become oppressive.”
He said European countries may be more accustomed to seeing an anti-terrorism, military-style police presence in train stations and other public spaces, but he’s not sure that would work in the United States.
“I don’t think that kind of presence would work for our Games so we’re going to have to find a way to guarantee people’s safety while not doing something overly heavy-handed,” he said.
L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn
L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who chairs LA Metro, praised Paris organizers for how quickly they moved people out of venues after an event and onto buses and trains. That’s something L.A. will have to figure out, she said.
“We want these to be ‘Transit First’ Olympic Games, where people can take a bus or train to get to every venue and event across L.A. County,” Hahn said in an emailed statement.
Although some Metro rail projects under construction are expected to be completed in time for the Olympics, including the train to LAX and the Purple (D) Line extension to Westwood where the Olympic Village will be, Hahn said buses will remain the “most important tool” for getting people around.
“We will need to bring in up to an additional 4,000 buses from across the country to add to our existing fleet,” she said.
In addition, Hahn said Paris officials she spoke with stressed the importance of coordination between different agencies involved in the Games.
“That will be on another level here in L.A. County where venues stretch across many different cities from Long Beach, to Inglewood, to Pasadena,” Hahn said. “We have four years, so we have to start working together now to make sure we have a plan to move people around efficiently and to keep everyone safe.”
L.A. City Councilmember Traci Park
As chair of the L.A. City Council’s Olympics and Paralympics ad hoc committee and its Trade, Travel and Tourism Committee, Park, like Bass, spoke of ways the city could help local small businesses win contracts so they can be part of the Olympics, and that hosting the Olympics would be a boon to the local economy.
“We are expecting millions of people to come here. They will be staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants and shopping in our retail centers,” Park said.
She’s also thinking about preparing welcome materials and guide books for out-of-towners. She said there should be plans in place for handling large crowds at popular tourist destinations like Venice Beach, Hollywood, Universal Studios and other venues tourists are likely to check out when they’re not at an Olympic event.
That’s in addition to hosting arts and cultural events in neighborhoods throughout L.A. to “showcase all of our rich cultural diversity.”
Park also praised Paris’ volunteer program during the Olympics. She said Paris organizers anticipated places where people were most likely to get lost – such as transfer stations along subway lines – and made sure there were volunteers there to help people navigate the Paris subway system.
Stuart Waldman, president of Valley Industry & Commerce Association
Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association, which represents business interests in the San Fernando Valley, attended the Paris Games and said that it will be important for business communities to work with city officials in L.A. to promote local businesses and other amenities that L.A. offers.
He said that official Olympic events “are such a small part of what people do when they’re there.”
“We have to make sure people know there are opportunities for recreation parks, for malls, for shopping,” he said, adding that it will be critical to make sure there are plenty of kid-friendly activities around for families with youngsters.
Waldman is hopeful that the upcoming Olympics won’t just be a boon for retailers. During his stay in Paris, Waldman said he noticed that every restaurant was packed with crowds gathered for viewing parties.
“It was amazing to see all the restaurants filled and (people) watching the games. It wasn’t just people there for the games, but it was actual Parisians who were filling these restaurants and cafés. Every single night – packed.”
His prediction for 2028?
“Overall, it will be pretty good for the L.A. economy and the businesses in L.A.,” he said.
