LA28 Makes Adaptive Sport Available to Kids

This upcoming 2022-2023 school year will bring exciting new sport programming for kids throughout Los Angeles, thanks to the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games’ commitment to youth sport, in partnership with the City of Los Angeles. 

PlayLA, created by the LA Department of Recreation and Parks, launched in November 2021 with funding from LA28 and the International Olympic Committee to provide affordable and accessible sports programming to kids of all abilities across Los Angeles.

For the next school year, LA28 has committed $17.5M to fund expanded PlayLA programming including new Olympic sports like surfing and skateboarding and a major increase in adaptive programming for kids with disabilities. These offerings will bring significantly more opportunities for LA kids with an emphasis on increased equity and inclusion.

“Sport defined my life from such a young age,” said LA28 Chief Athlete Officer and five-time Olympic medalist Janet Evans. “It’s why I’m so passionate about kids having every opportunity possible to play and compete. Sport should be available to everyone to empower kids to dream big and support our individual and collective physical and mental health.”

Registration for the ’22-’23 PlayLA school year opens May 7 and includes extended pool hours, allowing for more flexibility with everyday busy schedules. 

PlayLA is made possible through LA28’s $160 million commitment to sports for kids in Los Angeles ahead of the 2028 Games. This is the single largest commitment to youth sport development in California.