After the glittering, star-studded closing ceremony at Paris Olympics 2024, the Olympic flag was finally passed to Los Angeles, the host city of the 2028 Olympic Games. However, the impact of the LA28 Games is already being felt across the city, with Los Angeles continuing to reap the benefits accruable from its sporting legacy, dating back to the 1984 Olympics.
A Legacy of Accessibility to Youth
The 1984 Olympic Games impacted Los Angeles long before the event started. Out of the surplus accrued from the 1984 Games, a foundation—the LA84 Foundation—was established, which has become very influential in local youths’ participation in sports, with a special focus on young girls and women. Their programs have reached over 3 million young people from the year 1984 to the year 2017, with female participation gladly standing at 42 percent.
More recently, the PlayLA program allowed youth of all abilities and backgrounds to engage in sport activities at an affordable cost. This initiative was funded by the IOC and the LA28 Organizing Committee and developed by the LA City Recreation and Parks Department. To date, since 2018, it has given over 500,000 young people an opportunity, thus setting the tone for the upcoming Games with resonance in inclusivity and accessibility.
Progress in Gender Equality
It was the Games that did many firsts in terms of women in sport. Front and center were the first-ever ladies competing in the Olympic women’s marathon, artistic swimming, and rhythmic gymnastics, as well as totally new disciplines for both men and women like 3000 and 400m hurdles, road cycling, and shooting. The representation would be a then-record high of 23% females, setting the stage for future equality in sports.
Fast-forward to Paris 2024, where the IOC nailed an exact 50:50 split between male and female athletes, further sealing the gains that began several decades ago in Los Angeles. The dedication to this gender equality continues to inspire the upcoming LA28 Games—the promise of a stage where athletic excellence knows no gender.
Preserving Venue Legacy
What organizers are touting with LA28 is sustainability and “radical reuse.” That means no new permanent venues will be built in Los Angeles for the games. Actually, 21 out of the 26 existing venues used during the 1984 Games are still operating today. This means that sports, cultural, and leisure activities at these locations can still be used by athletes and citizens alike.
One of the most iconic venues is the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which has an Olympic legacy second to none—hosting the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 1932 and 1984 Games, besides track and field events. The Coliseum will have once again been one of the primary venues for the LA28 Games, continuing to grow its legendary status as an Olympic landmark.
Social, Economic and Environmental Legacies
Though its legacy extends down the playing field, the path-breaking new financial model of the Los Angeles 1984 Games was set through corporate sponsorships, which future Games followed. These Games set in motion a youth movement to spread Olympic values, fostered neighborhood volunteer engagement, and initiated city-wide environmental projects. More than 20,000 trees and bushes were planted in Los Angeles under clean-up initiatives, showing that there is some concern for the environment through the Games.
It is in the process of building on this rich heritage, making sure that when the 2028 Games come, the spirit of the Olympics leaves a mark that will be remembered here in Los Angeles City, just like it happened 40 years ago.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye
