The torch has been passed, and the Olympics are coming to Los Angeles in 2028.
Lt. General Reynold Hoover has been named CEO of the LA28 organizing committee, and addressed the members of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association on October 18.
Hoover is a retired Army and National Guard veteran, a three-star lieutenant general who was deputy commander of Peterson Air Force Base. He served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and at FEMA and the CIA.
The organizing committee announcing his role said, “Hoover’s appointment under-scored LA28’s heightened focus on operations and delivery.”
Hoover was part of the Park City Olympics in security in 2002, and visited Paris this year to view their organization. “I realized it’s a massive undertaking – like one big military organization,” he said. He also sent a note to the Paris Olympic committee saying, “Thanks for the gift you gave to the world – I hope we can live up to it!”
He sees the job as three pieces: operations, logistics and planning.
A huge realization from the Paris Olympics was how incredible the volunteers were.
“The first people you saw at the Metro, at any venue, were the volunteers,” Hoover explained. “They made the games. It was the spirit of the volunteers.”
That is one legacy he wants to leave here in Los Angeles.
“We want to get people to think about volunteering for 2028. In Park City we got 300,000 applications for 42,000 volunteer spots. In Los Angeles we’re going to need 75,000 volunteers.”
Speaking to a valley audience he also emphasized the valley’s role in the upcoming games. BMX, skateboarding and archery will be held at the Sepulveda Basin.
“We’re keeping the valley part of the Olympic experience,” he said.
Discussing the $7 billion budget for the games, Hoover said that they will soon be reaching out to the business community to offer opportunities to get involved, become supplies and resources. “We will be very transparent in purchasing local,” Hoover explained. “Even with our contracts with major companies we will insist they buy local as much as possible.”
Other legacies he hopes to leave LA?
Hoover laughed that a lot of the palm trees in Los Angeles were planted as beautification for the 1932 Olympics. “Well, we’re hosting a lot of paralympic games at UCLA and are talking to them about coordinating some accessibility changes – we’ll leave that as one legacy.”
There will be $160 million allocated for sports programs here, so that every child can participate in a sport for just $10 through PlayLA. “We hope to have surplus to fund additional sports programs after the games, because after all, these are our future athletes, para athletes and Olympians.”
