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≡ THE NOCS VISIT LA28 ≡
“LA28 is excited to welcome you and your NOC representatives to our 2025 Open Days in preparation for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. One of the key partnerships of any Olympic Games is the relationship between the Organizing Committee and each of your organizations. LA28 understands and appreciates the importance of visits to the Host City by NOCs in advance of the Games as an integral part of the planning process.”
That’s from the information pack for the two-day program of tours and presentations for about 30 National Olympic Committees who came to Los Angeles for the first in-depth look at the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games planning offered by the LA28 organizers.
The program was centered around UCLA, which will serve as the Olympic Village for 2028, after being one of two villages for the 1984 Olympic Games. The university’s residential stock has soared through a building program which now allows a student to live on campus for their entire collegiate experience.
So what happened? Some presentations, all at UCLA, but lots of tours:
Tuesday, 20 May:
● Presentations in the morning.
● UCLA Village tour in the afternoon.
● Reception at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, which will host archery, rugby sevens, field hockey, track cycling and tennis.
Wednesday, 21 May:
● Exposition Park Tour: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (athletics), John C Argue/LA84 Foundation Swim Stadium (diving), BMO Stadium (flag football, lacrosse 6s).
● Group to downtown Los Angeles sites: Crypto.com Arena (boxing, artistic gymnastics), Los Angeles Convention Center (judo, table tennis, taekwondo, wrestling), Peacock Theater at L.A. Live (weightlifting).
● Group to Long Beach sites: Long Beach Arena (handball), Long Beach Convention Center (shooting, sport climbing, water polo), Alamitos Beach (beach volleyball).
There were about 50 delegates from roughly 30 National Olympic Committees who came to this program, many from Europe, but some from elsewhere. LA28 is also staffing up, hiring U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Games Operations and Training Sites Director Dana Schoenwetter to lead the effort as its Senior Vice President for Villages, National Committee Services & Games Family Services.
The more experienced NOCs were already on the ground prior to the two-day program, or are staying after to look for pre-Games training sites or in-Games hospitality locations. Already announced – among others – are the Dutch in Mission Viejo, Croatia with a hospitality house in San Pedro and New Zealand, setting up housing and a fan zone in Culver City.
This was the first guided program for the NOCs from LA28 and reports were generally good, with attendees introduced to UCLA housing layout and the different styles of accommodations, and some had an opportunity to ride on the Metro subway system for the first time.
Of course, others were taking time to see the Pacific Ocean up close for the first time, or check out what the Hollywood sign really looks like.
Future “Open Days” will be on 26-27 August 2025, and again in 2026, with the NOC Chefs de Mission seminar in 2027.
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