LA 2024 Pledges to Build on the Best of Rio 2016

As the Rio 2016 Olympic Games drew to its successful conclusion, the LA 2024 Candidature Committee pledged to learn from and build on the best elements of an Olympic celebration that inspired the world with the unforgettable performances of the world’s greatest athletes.

A 25-member delegation from the LA 2024 Candidature Committee attended Rio 2016, including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman, CEO Gene Sykes, Vice Chair and Director of Athlete Relations Janet Evans, IOC Executive Board member and LA 2024 Senior Advisor for Legacy Anita DeFrantz, and IOC Athletes’ Commission Chair and LA 2024 Chief Strategy Officer Angela Ruggiero, IOC member and USOC Chairman Larry Probst and USOC CEO Scott Blackmun.

LA 2024 spent three weeks meeting with international sport leaders and participating in the IOC Observer Program to learn first-hand how to put in place the optimal conditions for elite athletic performance. Now the bid team leaves Brazil ready to incorporate the lessons they have learned into a Games Concept for 2024 which continues the process of elevating sport and the athlete experience to ever greater heights.

LA 2024 will look to build their Rio 2016 experiences into their Games plan across four key areas in particular:

Sports Entertainment: Rio 2016 worked with international sports federations in a number of instances to create an excellent in-stadium and on-screen spectator experience. Rio 2016 has reinforced LA 2024's focus on harnessing its culture of innovation and entertainment, from Silicon Beach to Hollywood and beyond, to create an unprecedented sports and entertainment offering for all participants. In LA this will start with enabling athletes to put in the performances of a lifetime, and encompass the broader front- and back-of house experiences for officials, media and fans alike.

City as the Stage: The city of Rio de Janeiro provided a spectacular backdrop for top-class sport, with iconic sites like Copacabana Beach and the lagoon – overlooked by Christ the Redeemer – inspiring athletes and captivating audiences. The LA bid's plans to integrate the city’s scenic coastline, diverse topography and iconic landmarks into the fabric of the Games will extend this athlete-, fan- and camera-friendly strategy.

Broadening Horizons: Rio 2016 was an Olympic Games of firsts, with two new sports, three countries winning their first ever Olympic medals and four more winning their first gold. LA 2024’s Games Plan will incorporate unprecedented access to top training facilities used by many 2016 Olympians from around the world, so athletes and staff from every nation will have their best chance to succeed. Our city’s wealth of existing sports venues means we can respond with flexibility to any changes in the Olympic program, and by harnessing California’s unique spirit of innovation and creativity LA 2024 will be the perfect springboard for sports old and new to reach new audiences in exciting ways.

Public Mass Transit: Rio’s expanded mass transit system meant fans were able to experience a Games that embraced an entire city and connected the broadest range of communities. LA 2024’s concept will combine convenience and inclusivity. The city’s $88 billion mass transit overhaul is already underway and going ahead regardless of the Games. Famously, there was no traffic during the 1984 Games, and with a new mass transit system and high occupancy lanes in place, LA 2024 can offer efficient travel for all participants, diverse city-wide Games-time experiences and broad engagement with the entire community. LA 2024’s capacity to deliver this city-wide celebration is greatly enhanced by having three of the United States’ most prominent labor leaders already on its board, representing between them hundreds of thousands of workers in key sectors like transport, hospitality and construction.

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said: "Rio de Janeiro is a jewel, one of the world’s great cities, and all Brazilians and Cariocas deserve enormous credit for staging a truly remarkable Olympic Games that gave the world outstanding athletic performances set in a stunning backdrop. I want to commend Mayor Eduardo Paes for his leadership to deliver these Games, which will inform our own work at LA City Hall as we seek to partner with the Olympic Movement."

LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman said: "LA 2024’s low-risk, sustainable venue plan means we can spend our time and resources on building on the very best of Rio 2016. If we are given the honor of being elected hosts, LA 2024 will have a unique opportunity to spend seven years focusing on innovation and the kind of ‘last mile’ preparations which elevate the Games-time experience to the Olympic-class of the future for every single stakeholder.

"On behalf of the entire LA 2024 team, we are incredibly grateful for the warm welcome we have received from the Olympic Family and from the people of Rio. Our time in this great city has inspired us to reach even higher in placing California's creativity, technology and innovation at the service of the Olympic Movement."

LA 2024 Vice Chair and Director of Athlete Relations Janet Evans said:

"Rio 2016 has proven that when you give the athletes the right platform, their performances are what the world will be talking about. Crucially, for every remarkable performance from the likes of Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt, we have seen truly groundbreaking feats from athletes like Jordan’s Ahmad Abughaush, Iran’s Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorin, Singapore’s Joseph Schooling, Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig and the Fiji rugby team.

"We have had 15 active members of the LA 2024 Athletes’ Advisory Commission here in Rio. They competed in nine sports, winning 19 medals, so they are going to be able to offer us a really broad range of experiences and feedback. We will be holding more town hall meetings across the United States to meet with these athletes to ensure our Games Concept guarantees the ultimate experience for the men and women at the heart of it all: the athletes."

For more information, please contact:

LA2024

Tel: +1 424-320-4513

visit LA24.org