‘LA is tailor-made for hosting Olympics’

Article posted by Coliseum, July 24^th, 2024

Image: Coliseum GSVA

Hilary Ash who is from Los Angeles (US) has a very close connect with the venues – an emotional bonding – as she puts in, “I grew up in many of these venues in Los Angeles (LA).” She knows the ins and outs of the sports industry and is a natural fit for the same.

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Ash is all perked up as the Olympics are coming to Los Angeles in 2028 (LA28) and she is instrumental to LA28’s technical operations and games delivery planning specifically for the sports and venue master plan and budget considerations.

Hilary Ash is a proven strategist. In her current role, Ash leads LA28’s venue infrastructure planning and delivery. She oversees the delivery of the venue master plan as well as the venue design casting an overlay. She ensures integration with all the sports and delivery partners helping define the overall venue delivery strategy and leading strategic program management of the venue infrastructure.

Rob Hunden and his Chicago (US)-based firm Hunden Partners offer extensive experience in the economics of placemaking primarily via the transformative real estate projects like the mixed-use stadium districts.

With Los Angeles all set to hold the 2028 Summer Olympics in July 2028, Hilary Ash, VP, Games Delivery and Venue Infrastructure, LA28, US, tells Rob Hunden, President, Hunden Partners, US, in an exclusive for ‘Coliseum’ with a sense of pride that “we are no strangers to the Olympics here” with Los Angeles having previously hosted the Summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984 and “it brings with it such an exciting opportunity for our community, for our venues”. She also said that holding the iconic global event in 2028 will not lead to brainstorming sessions as Los Angeles boasts “incredible venues and world-class operators”.

LA28

The 2028 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad, and commonly known as Los Angeles 2028 or LA28, is an upcoming international multisport event scheduled to take place from July 14^th-30^th, 2028 in and around Los Angeles, California, United States. Los Angeles will be holding this sporting spectacle for the third time.

2028 Summer Paralympics

The 2028 Summer Paralympics, also known as the 18th Summer Paralympic Games, and commonly known as the LA28 Paralympic Games, are an upcoming international multisport parasports event governed by the International Paralympic Committee and scheduled to take place from August 15^th-27^th, 2028 in Los Angeles, California, United States. It will be Los Angeles’ first time as the Paralympics host.

International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a non-Governmental sports organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is the authority responsible for organizing the modern Olympic Games.

Hilary Ash tells Rob Hunden as he asked for her “words and story a little bit in sports” eagerly that “As an Angeleno, to think about, imagining and bringing to life what the Olympic and the Paralympic Games would look like here in Los Angeles is very exciting”. Though LA will be hosting the Olympics for the third time “but it is our first time hosting the Paralympic Games”.

Sports run in her pedigree. A wave of nostalgia sweeping over her she reminisced, “I started in sports really at the earliest of ages, grew up in the sports industry, my father was in the sports industry for his entire life. I grew up playing competitive sports and played volleyball. I didn’t take the traditional sports path but really I think that was such a foundational opportunity for me because you need to develop such important skills as a business leader and to be able to bring that back into the sports industry.”

Bid Process

Explaining to Hunden the bid process for LA28, she informed that she joined the LA Games team in 2015 – “So, I have been there for eight years now, five more to go. So, total of 13 years on one project, one event. We began as a bid in 2015 that developed a bid for the International Olympic Committee (IOC – the authority responsible for organizing the modern Olympic Games) bid process. We began the process competing against five different Cities and LA was awarded the Games in September 2017. We were elected 11 years in advance of the Games which go beyond the typical lifecycle of an organizing committee but we also felt very capable and excited about that opportunity because LA has such unique offerings when it comes to the ability to host the Olympic and the Paralympic Games.”

She also told Hunden that the USP of LA that sets them apart from the other Cities is “what we brought to the table was such an incredible set of sport assets and entertainment assets here in Los Angeles. We have a plan that does not involve any new permanent infrastructure.”

The top shot also lays a lot of emphasis on the community – “It’s so critically important for us to ensure that all of our communities get to experience the Olympic and the Paralympic.”

Olympic Agenda 2020+5

The Olympic Agenda 2020+5 is a set of 15 recommendations that were inspired by five influential contemporary trends all of which have been identified as areas where sport and the values of Olympism (a philosophy of life which places sport at the service of humanity) can play a key role. These are – Solidarity, Digitalization, Sustainable Development, Credibility, and Economic and Financial Resilience.

Touching on the Olympic Agenda 2020+5, Ash informed Hunden that sustainability is the core of the 2020+5 Agenda and the IOC wants to ensure that the Olympic Games will be sustainable into the future in all sort of aspects in the real sense of the term and financial sustainability is one of them – “We will tap into the existing assets that we have in LA”. No new venues also translate to less carbon footprint because the buildings and construction sector is by far the largest emitter of greenhouse gases accounting for a staggering 37 percent of global emissions.

Wrap-up

Los Angeles is home to the most unique, top-tier venues in the United States like the spectacular 70,000-capacity SoFi Stadium which is fresh as dew and opened in September 2020 and the 77,500-capacity Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum which opened in the year 1923. While the latter is a civic treasure for the generations of Angelenos the former screams luxury.

Informed Ash, “The Opening Ceremony will be at the SoFi Stadium and the Closing Ceremony in the LA Memorial Coliseum with celebrations concurringly happening at the two facilities there at both the events and really that’s about imagining a way in which we can also bring more people into the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.”

Hilary Ash summed up with a note of optimism, “We are very fortunate that this is our third time hosting the Olympic Games and the first time hosting the Paralympic Games and I am sure it won’t be the last as Los Angeles is the Mecca of sports and entertainment. The IOC still share the goal of bringing sport to the world and using sport as a vehicle for sort of bringing cultures together, creating collaboration, being able to tap into the new communities who haven’t had these experiences before and we really do want to ensure that sport continues to grow across the world and I think exposure to the Olympic and the Paralympic Games is so critical.”

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