LA 2028 Pitches ANOC for the First Time

(ATR) Casey Wasserman hears the question often: "With no major construction, what are you going to do for 10 years?"

The Los Angeles 2028 chairman told the ANOC General Assembly that the answer is simple: The organizing committee has the unprecedented opportunity to focus 100 percent on the experience of the athletes.

Even with more time to prepare than any other Olympic host city in history, Wasserman told Around the Rings that there’s no time to waste.

"As I tell our people, we will still wake up at some point and say, ‘I wish we had more time,’" he said to ATR. "That’s guaranteed. We’re going to be aggressive every day and try and achieve as much of our plan as we can as quickly as we can."

Wasserman took just 10 minutes to update the delegates in his first presentation to ANOC since Los Angeles was awarded the Games.

He said LA 2028 is learning and listening while building the foundation of the organization. The commercial plan is getting off the ground, as well as the implementation of the joint venture with the USOC to manage the brand and develop new business. LA 2028 intends to generate more than $2.5 billion in revenue across sponsorships and marketing.

He said the Youth Sports Program, funded by $160 million from the IOC, is "off to a great start," citing a record-breaking swimming program, and is "what we believe may be the first pre-Games legacy in Olympic history."

Earlier Thursday, IOC President Thomas Bach urged both Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 to hold their opening ceremonies on the streets of their cities, following the example set by Buenos Aires at the Youth Olympic Games last summer.

"The good thing is we can wait a few years and see how other Games take advantage of the idea," Wasserman told ATR.

He said that aside from one specific idea, "the willingness of the IOC to be flexible and open to new ideas is exciting. So whether it’s that or other (ideas), I think it’s a new day for host cities."

While the LA opening ceremony is currently slated for a new $4 billion stadium -- the most expensive and technologically advanced ever built -- Wasserman said the plan has always been to include the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the torch relay. The Coliseum hosted the opening and closing ceremonies at the 1932 and 1984 Summer Games and will be hosting the closing ceremony and athletics in 2028.

"Going back multiple years, we’ve had multiple sites of engagement for opening ceremonies," he said. "So we’ve already expanded the concept."

Wasserman was joined on the podium by director Lenny Abbey, but he was the only LA representative to speak.

"LA 2028 will fit the Games to the city," he said.

In light of news that the Salt Lake City city council voted to pursue the 2030 Winter Games ahead of the vote by the USOC board of directors, Wasserman said, "That’s the decision for the USOC and cities that are interested. I’ve got enough on my plate."

Told that he was standing in the same venue -- the Grand Prince New Takanawa Hotel and Pamir Convention Center -- in which Atlanta won the 1996 Games at the 1990 IOC Session, Wasserman said, "Really? I will text Billy Payne right now and tell him that."

Paris 2024 ‘Must Improve People’s Lives’

Etienne Thobois, Paris 2024 Chief Executive, says the Olympics have already begun legacy programs as part of a commitment of social improvement in the French capital.

Paris 2024 briefed the world’s National Olympic Committees about updates to the project over the past year. This included an updated Games plan, and changes to the Paris 2024 venues.

Thobois discussed changes such as the new plan for the aquatics center, which is a mix of a permanent and temporary facility.

"This concept only makes sense if it is delivered with a concrete plan to improve people’s lives," Thobois said. "This is not only for 2024 but starting now."

Paris 2024 has begun a school program where kids spend a week trying new sports and "using Olympism as a catalyst for educational learning." The program began last year, and is expected to continue after the 2024 Olympics close.

The Games will also be fully in line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Thobois said that Paris 2024 "will be responsible for significantly less carbon emissions than before," and that emissions will be funded by other initiatives. He called on the NOCs of the world to join in working to reduce emissions and Paris 2024 would stand to offer assistance when called upon.

Homepage photo: ANOC YouTube

Written by Karen Rosen and Aaron Bauer in Tokyo

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