Group photo of athletes from the LA28 Athletes Commission doing their various sports

LA28 Hosts First Athletes’ Commission Meeting

The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Athletes’ Commission conducted its first meeting this week, kicking off a seven-year journey to the Summer Games in Los Angeles.

 

Meeting virtually Wednesday, the Commission, which includes nine Paralympians and nine Olympians, talked about how to ensure athletes are the heart of the LA28 Games.

 

“I couldn’t be more excited to work with these incredible leaders in sport,” said Janet Evans, five-time Olympic medalist and LA28’s Chief Athlete Officer. “Every Commission member is bringing their whole selves and total life experiences to the table. Together, we are going to create the best possible experience for athletes and fans.”

 

The Commission is chaired by Janet Evans and includes Olympians Allyson Felix, Queen Harrison, Nastia Liukin, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Apolo Ohno, Adam Rippon, Alex Shibutani, Howard Shu and Brenda Villa, and Paralympians Scout Bassett, Samantha Bosco, Allison Compton, Lex Gillette, Alana Nichols, Ileana Rodriguez, Rico Roman, Oscar “Oz” Sanchez and Ahkeel Whitehead.

 

Serving as a strategic advisory group, the LA28 Athletes’ Commission will bring essential athlete perspective to all aspects of the Games planning and delivery process.

 

"To me, the LA28 Games represent an opportunity not only to show the world but our local communities what the Olympics and Paralympics are all about," said U.S. Women's sitting volleyball team founder, bronze medalist and LA28 Athletes' Commission member, Allison Compton. "Hosting Los Angeles’s first Paralympic Games is beyond exciting for me. It gives us an amazing platform to educate our community about the Paralympics and open up opportunities for our future Paralympians in ways we have never experienced before."

 

Samantha Bosco, two-time bronze medalist in paracycling and LA28 Athletes' Commission member shared: "I'm eagerly counting down to the LA28 Games because you know you are going to witness dreams fulfilled, people giving their very best, others sharing in their joy and in their heartache, hearing incredible and relatable stories, watching dreams start shaping in the eyes of spectators, and all the other amazing things that an event in a city of endless dreaming, open-mindedness, and opportunities has to offer."

 

LA28 will mark Los Angeles’ third time to host the Olympic Games – previously hosted in 1984 and 1932 – and first time to host the Paralympic Games. Los Angeles is expected to host more than 15,000 athletes in 2028 as it welcomes Paralympians and Olympians from around the world to compete on the biggest stage in sports.