The 2024 Olympics in Paris are just around the corner, and while that event will be an event of innovation, the specter of Los Angeles 2028 – expected to be a watershed moment in sports history – is growing larger four years later.
The lighting of the Olympic cauldron in Los Angeles 2028 will become one of the iconic moments in sport, replayed in highlight reels for generations. This election will become one of the defining choices, along with the election of Muhammad Ali in 1996 or Cathy Freeman four years later.
recent interviews ring With Sports and Entertainment Super Agent and LA28 Chairman Kathy Wasserman Ask him if he has thought about who will light the cauldron. His response: “I do.”
Wasserman is at the center of this debate. His wife’s grandfather served as chairman of the organizing committee for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where he represented many famous athletes.Ironically, none of the athletes below appear to be representatives of Wasserman’s namesake agency—which means he should There was no direct conflict of interest at the time of selection.
This sparked a conversation with Nick Zaccardi, one of the most knowledgeable people in Olympic sports who could be surpassed by the frontrunners.
standard:
- Must be someone associated with the Olympics. For example, Peyton Manning won’t light the cauldron because he was never an Olympian.
- It won’t always be an athlete, but it probably will be. He could be a Summer Olympic athlete.
- Since the tradition began in Berlin in 1936, the United States has hosted six Olympic Games, and all of the main torch lighters have been men (including Lake Placid’s Charles Kerr in 1980, a Psychiatrist in Arizona). There will be pressure on women to make this choice, although I don’t think it’s a guarantee. There’s been a lot of combined lighting lately, so that’s an option as well.
- Los Angeles connections will figure heavily in the selection.
Below, I’ve included a list of athletes (or groups of athletes) who, in my opinion, are the most obvious choices. Keep in mind that several people will be given the “spotlight legs” of the torch to carry it into the stadium, so it’s likely that more than one person on this list will be chosen.
slam dunk
1. Venus and Serena Williams – Few athletes in major sports have contributed as much to the Olympics as the Williams sisters. Sister Serena participated in the 2000, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, winning three doubles gold medals and the 2012 singles gold medal. Venus Williams participated in the 2000, 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, winning the singles and women’s doubles championships in 2000, the women’s doubles championships in 2008 and 2012, and the mixed doubles silver medal in 2016. Venus was born in Lynwood, Los Angeles, while Serena was born in Michigan and spent much of her childhood in Compton, Los Angeles – the city they are probably most associated with, especially in movies after. There are many reasons to choose the Williams sisters. They are absolute American sports icons, not the least of which is that Serena is a Nike-sponsored athlete. Nike is the official sportswear brand of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and Team USA.
Olympic icons with LA ties
1. Magic Johnson—— Magic as a single entity is synonymous with Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Lakers, hence his popularity. He was a member of the original 1992 Olympics Dream Team that won the gold medal and forever changed the landscape of basketball around the world.
2. Alison Felix – The American distance runner has seven Olympic gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze medal. She is the most decorated track and field athlete in history at the Olympics and the American track and field athlete with the most gold medals at the World Championships and the most overall medals. She was born in Los Angeles, so she has a domestic mix.
3. Joan Benoit – Benoit, whose name isn’t as household a name as others on this list, won the women’s marathon gold medal at the 1984 Olympics. This is the first time a women’s marathon has been set up in the Olympic Games.
An Olympic icon with no Los Angeles ties
1. Michael Phelps – The most decorated Olympic swimmer in history, Michael Phelps Definitely going to be involved in the LA Olympics on a lot of levels. The flexibility of having the most decorated Olympian in history light the cauldron gave him a big boost. The criticism of him has nothing to do with Los Angeles and whether the organizing committee may seek to represent more diversity in the Olympic movement.
2. The Original Dream Team (1992) – This will become the “most popular” on social media and it’s hard to blame anyone. This franchise has captured the imagination of the world and its roster of icons is one to drool over. Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, Christie Ann Laettner, Clyde Drexler and Karl Malone may have been the greatest tandem of talent to ever play in any sport. Negotiating all 12 men to play would be a logistical hurdle, something they already accomplished as a team with the Miracle on Ice hockey team at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Karl Malone will present a dilemma for playmakers.
3.Simon Biles—— The 26-year-old rewrites gymnastics history year after year. She has won seven Olympic medals, four gold, and proved at the recent world championships that she has more to offer in Paris, even at an age when most female gymnasts have long since retired. While there’s no real Los Angeles tie-in, her star power cannot be ignored.
4. Jackie Joyner-Kersee – Joiner-Kersee attended UCLA, which would host most of the Olympics, and made his debut at the 1984 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal in the heptathlon. So even though she’s not a native daughter of the city, there are some connections to Los Angeles.She won 3 Olympic gold medals in 1988 and 1992, and a total of 6 gold medals in her career
5. Carl Lewis—— An icon at the last Los Angeles Olympics, Lewis won the 100m, 200m, 4×100m relay and long jump in 1984, kicking off an Olympic career that earned him nine gold medals and one silver.
wildcard
There is always the possibility of something outside the box. Maybe someone who isn’t even in the public mind right now will. Maybe Los Angeles will decide to do something completely unique. It’s happened before, with stunning results – think of Barcelona Paralympic archer Antonio Rebello shooting a flaming arrow through the cauldron in 1992. There is no limit to creativity in Hollywood. Here are some ideas.
1. Descendants of Dee Dee Pickett and/or Louise Stokes – Pickett and Stokes would have been the first black women to compete on the U.S. Olympic team at the 1932 Los Angeles Games, but they were not selected to compete in the track and field relays (see Smithsonian Magazine’s description of the event) . This will be an opportunity for organizers to correct their mistakes.
2. Technology—— Technology is advancing at an incredible rate, and California is the center of many advancements. Can drones light cauldrons? What about artificial intelligence?
3. Kobe Bryant’s family—— Kobe is another iconic player for the Los Angeles Lakers who won gold medals with Team USA in 2008 and 2012. He died in a helicopter crash in 2020, and since his death, his “Black Mamba” legacy has only grown.
in conclusion
The Williams sisters are undoubtedly the front-runners among those who have offered valuable input on the matter.They checked every box an Olympic committee needs to look for
Recent torchlighters
No swimmer has ever lit the Olympic cauldron, and with all due respect to swimmers like Katie Ledecky, Phelps is the icon who gave our sport its best chance.
Here is the list of recent Olympic torchbearers:
- 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics – Zhao Jiawen (Nordic combined) and Dingle Yilamujiang (cross-country skiing)
- Tokyo 2020 – Naomi Osaka (tennis) lights the stadium cauldron and Ayaka Takahashi (badminton) lights the outdoor cauldron
- 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics – Kim Yuna (figure skating)
- Rio 2016 – Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima (athlete) lights the stadium flame and Jorge Gomez (athlete) lights the public flame.
- Sochi 2014 – Irina Rodnina (figure skating) and Vladislav Tretiak (ice hockey)
- London 2012 – Seven teenagers light up, nominated by senior British Olympians.
- Salt Lake City 2002 – 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, aka the “Miracle on Ice”
- Atlanta 1996 – Muhammad Ali (boxing)
- 1984 Los Angeles – Rafer Johnston (Track and Field)
- Squaw Valley 1960 – Ken Henry (speed skating)