Four-time Olympian, Janet Evans, has been named the Vice Chair of the Athletes Commission for Los Angeles’ 2024 Olympic bid. In the role, 44 year-old Evans will work closely with both Olympians and Paralympians to ensure they are effectively represented in the city’s bid for the Games.
While speaking to a gathering of officials at a USOC assembly in Colorado Springs, Colorado today, Los Angeles 2024 Bid Chairman Casey Wasserman said that Evans “will ensure that we remain in dialogue with the athletes and constantly identify new ways to refine and improve our offering.” Evans’ appointment signifies the bid’s commitment to keep athletes at the core of its overall bidding strategy, according to Wasserman.
As a Southern California native, Evans said she is honored to join the team and , “will do everything I can to help L.A.’s bid.” Reminiscing on her experience in 1984 when Los Angeles last hosted the Summer Games, Evans said, “I remember sitting in the stands as a young fan at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in 1984, and those athletes truly inspired my athletic pursuits.”
Evans would go on to win five medals between the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea and the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. She also passed the Olympic torch to Muhammad Ali at the Opening Ceremony of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Los Angeles is competing against Budapest, Rome, Paris, and Hamburg for the 2024 bid, which will be voted upon by the International Olympic Committee in September 2017.
I believe Janet is a three time Olympian, not four.
Congratulations to Janet. Hope she is able to help ensure the athletes are not abused by weird swimming finals start times like in Rio.