LA28-FUNDED YOUTH SPORTS PROGRAM ACHIEVES NEW HEIGHTS FOR YOUTH IN LOS ANGELES
PlayLA Program Nearly Doubles Enrollment in a Single Year
Today, the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games are celebrating a new milestone in youth sports participation across Los Angeles – enrollment has nearly doubled for PlayLA, the LA28-sponsored program offering affordable and accessible sports programming to youth of all abilities. Over 176,000 participants enrolled in PlayLA programming during the 2022-2023 program year, an over 95 percent increase from the previous year.
Run by the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP), PlayLA has supported more than 500,000 young athletes to play Olympic and Paralympic sports across Los Angeles, including signature programs such as judo, skateboarding, surfing, para surfing and blind soccer, to name a few.
"We are ecstatic that our youth sports program has reached new heights, empowering the youth of Los Angeles to embrace the spirit of sports and the Games, while having fun with their teammates and coaches," said Recreation and Parks General Manager, Jimmy Kim. "As we celebrate these achievements, we want to thank LA28 for their vision that allows us to foster leaders of tomorrow, creating a legacy of resilience, teamwork, and success."
With the addition of 18 new programs, including 9 adaptive sport programs, PlayLA hosted more than 3,000 clinics at 154 parks and recreation centers, aquatic centers, and pool locations during the ‘22-’23 school year. Over one third of participants were between 8-10 years old, 56 percent self-identifying as boys and 44 percent self-identifying as girls.
PlayLA programming costs as little as $10 per participant at pre-qualified recreation centers and aquatic centers. All RAP sites also offer program registration waivers to qualifying families. This is made possible due to LA28 and the International Olympic Committee’s pledge of up to $160M to fund quality sports programming for youth of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.
“It’s been inspiring to see the continued success and growth of the PlayLA program, especially as the world readies for the Paris Games this summer,” said LA28 Vice President of Impact, Erikk Aldridge. “PlayLA presents the opportunity for young athletes to feel the excitement of the Games returning to their hometown while introducing them to a wide variety of Olympic and Paralympic sports.”
LA28 will continue to build upon its pre-Games legacy with its sights set on impacting an estimated one million youth participants through the PlayLA program.
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