The Coordination Commission of the International Olympic Committee concluded a three-day assessment on Thursday, evaluating various venues and monitoring the preparatory progress for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“We’re just four short years away,” remarked Casey Wasserman, the chairman and president of LA28, highlighting that the opening ceremony is set for July 14, 2028—just 1,338 days from now.
The team toured notable locations, including the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, the Long Beach Convention Center, and the waterfront Marine Stadium. This marked the first visit to Los Angeles by the commission in two years.
“The venues are truly exceptional,” noted Nicole Hoevertsz, an IOC member and chair of the LA28 Coordination Commission. “I will continuously emphasize each time I visit that there’s no construction needed here; we have world-class venues at our disposal. The organizers here are highly skilled at handling large-scale events and competitive sports.”
By 2025, the organizing committee plans to finalize the venues, competition schedules, medal events, and athlete quotas, which will facilitate the development of transportation, security, and ticketing strategies.
In 2026, Wasserman indicated they will delve into more engaging aspects of the preparation, such as opening ticket sales and hospitality services to the public, developing the torch relay, creating a mascot, and planning the Cultural Olympiad alongside a volunteer initiative.
“We are extremely excited to host the world when the time comes,” Wasserman expressed during a press briefing held at UCLA, which is set to be the location for the athletes’ village.
Wasserman does not foresee any challenges in collaborating with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, especially given Trump’s previous administration was in office when Los Angeles secured its Olympic bid and signed essential documents concerning national security and transportation for the Games.
“In conversations with the federal government, we acknowledge and engage with representatives from all political parties, reflecting the nature of our country’s current landscape,” he explained. “No single party can dominate these discussions. Effective cooperation is key. We have experienced fruitful collaborations with both Republican and Democratic administrations and are confident this will persist.”
Recently, Wasserman and the LA organizing committee made a trip to Paris to observe how the French capital hosted the recent Summer Games.
“Our time was mainly spent seeing behind the scenes while events unfolded,” Wasserman shared. “This is where valuable lessons are learned. While we are confident in managing the playing aspect of the event, the unique elements of the Olympics are found elsewhere.”
The 2028 Olympic Games will introduce new sports such as cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash. There currently isn’t a designated cricket venue in Los Angeles.
“We will seek to establish a venue for cricket either in Los Angeles or the surrounding area,” he stated. “If we don’t succeed, our responsibility will be to identify an optimal location to host a top-tier cricket tournament.”
Sports like softball and canoe slalom have already been relocated approximately 1,300 miles away to Oklahoma City.
“These Games are designed to focus intently on Los Angeles and Southern California, ensuring that our hosting of the Olympics aligns with our community rather than forcing our community to adapt for the Games,” Wasserman noted. “This is a promise made to our city and its people, avoiding past mistakes.”