We’re about 10 years from the start of the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics Games, the third time the City of Angels has hosted this global event. Organizers are likely to look back at the most recent LA outing, the 1984 Olympics, for a history lesson on what to do, and not do, for the coming games. For the record, the 1984 Olympmics was one of the most celebrated of all time … and all with a “Spartan” budget of only $12 million.
According to Curbed LA, “Like the toughest competitors in the ancient games, Los Angeles needed to stay focused on the win. On time, spectacular, with Ueberroth confidently predicting a 10 percent budget surplus (on a budget of $500 million) to Sports Illustrated in 1982. Which left only two years until the opening ceremony on July 28, 1984, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which had been built for the 1932 games.
“Aided by a $225 million television deal with ABC, setting the standard for modern broadcasts, and phalanxes of sponsors, LA84 generated a $232.5 million profit, with $93 million earmarked for the LA84 Foundation, to support youth sports, coaching and, more recently, play equity.”
So how does a modern Los Angeles plan to duplicate the success of ’84? Read more about that “Vision” here.
