Los Angeles Olympics give city an opportunity to improve, says Mayor Karen Bass

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles will be ready to welcome the world when it hosts the Olympics in 2028 and will use the time leading up to the opening ceremony to improve the city, LA Mayor Karen Bass said on May 8.

Games organisers LA28 revealed earlier in the day that Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood would host the opening ceremony in an unprecedented dual-venue celebration, marking another milestone in planning.

It will create “an unprecedented dual-venue celebration that will earn the Coliseum the unique distinction as the first venue in history to host events for three Olympic Games while also marking the Stadium in Inglewood’s Olympic debut”, the committee said in a press statement.

The Coliseum was the main venue for the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics. SoFi Stadium is the home of the National Football League’s Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.

“Our city and our country is going through challenging times right now but the Games present a unique opportunity for all of us to come together and work with urgency to better our city,” Ms Bass said at a press conference at Memorial Coliseum.

“This is the only time the world comes together as one and I know that we will leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.”

She said Memorial Coliseum would serve as the “heartbeat” for a Games that will stretch from the San Fernando Valley in the north to Trestles Beach in the south with competitions in downtown LA, Long Beach, Universal Studios and beyond. She said: “The entire city will be on display.”

To that end, she has launched Shine LA, a programme that brings communities together to beautify neighbourhoods block by block.

“Whether we are planting trees or painting or sprucing up our schools, we’re going to come together and prepare for the world,” Ms Bass said.

Los Angeles was hit by a series of devastating wildfires in January that reduced entire neighbourhoods to ash, leaving some to wonder if it was wise for the city to host the mega-sporting event.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has referred to the Games as the “Recovery Games” in the wake of the fires and LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said the Games would be an economic engine, providing a benefit of about US$18 billion (S$23.4 billion) to the city and region.

“The Games are going to be great and I think everybody will be uplifted by it. It’s a unifying force to bring everybody together around sport,” Hoover told Reuters on May 8.

The Olympics closing ceremony will be staged on July 30, 2028 at the iconic Coliseum.

The 2028 LA Paralympics opening ceremony will be at SoFi Stadium on Aug 15, with the closing ceremony on Aug 27 at the Coliseum.

“The venues selected for the 2028 opening and closing ceremonies will highlight Los Angeles’ rich sporting history and cutting-edge future, showcasing the very best that LA has to offer on the world stage,” said LA28 chairman and president Casey Wasserman.

“These two extraordinary venues will create an unforgettable experience, welcoming fans from across the globe to an Olympic and Paralympic Games like never before and concluding what will go down as one of the most incredible Games in history.” REUTERS, AFP