LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles 2024 today announced that it has selected UCLA’s modern and beautifully-designed residences as its Olympic Village and USC’s world-class campus as its Media Village. Both universities are ranked among the top 25 universities in the nation and their superb campus environments, housing, dining and athletic facilities have helped attract the most accomplished students and athletes from around the world.
The LA 2024 Villages plan will provide the finest personalized experience for athletes and other participants, by using existing world-class residences. The plan further reduces the costs and risks of hosting the Games, aligning closely with the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms that encourage cities to host sustainable and fiscally responsible Games. This approach of using existing facilities ensures certain delivery and allows LA 2024 to give even greater focus on the athletes’ experience, shaping the most innovative and creative Games to inspire a new generation.
UCLA will house all eligible athletes and team officials at its state-of-the-art residential facilities. All of these facilities are either newly built or recently renovated and incorporate modern design, spacious layouts, social gathering places, and the latest technology and conveniences. As part of its residential dining program, UCLA operates eight restaurants with capacity to prepare a variety of fresh, healthy and delicious meals in comfortable dining rooms for all Village residents.
In addition, the Olympic Village offers world-class training centers on site, allowing athletes the convenience of training for their events without having to travel outside the Village. The Village includes the Drake Stadium, a legendary 400-meter track and field venue used by top hopefuls and champions, including Dawn Harper-Nelson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Rafer Johnson. The Village will also include Olympic-size swimming and diving pools at UCLA’s Sunset Recreation Center, along with tennis, basketball, beach volleyball, walking trails and other outdoor recreation and training facilities throughout the campus. And the Village will contain a state-of-the-art, premium gym with the latest weight training, cardiovascular, climbing wall and other workout equipment.
Athletes will also have convenient access to leading medical specialists at the adjacent UCLA Medical Center, which is ranked #3 in the nation and #1 in the Western United States.
Members of the media, officials and other stakeholders will be housed at USC, which offers newly renovated accommodations located around its stunning Collegiate Gothic-style campus. In addition to its current residential facilities, USC is constructing a new 15-acre residential and retail village, which will house 2,700, and offers a grocery, drugstore, fitness center, restaurants and retail stores. USC’s campus and the new USC Media Village are located in the heart of the Downtown Games Cluster, within walking distance to events held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, USC Galen Center, Staples Center, Microsoft Theater and the renovated Convention Center.
Both UCLA and USC are among the most prestigious universities in the nation. Each has approximately 43,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and both campuses are home to thousands of international students from more than 100 countries. International students make up 24% of USC’s student population and 15% of UCLA’s student population.
Both UCLA and USC boast rich Olympic histories. Not only did both universities house athletes during the 1984 Summer Games, but between them they have produced 821 Olympians (USC 423, UCLA 398) and 539 Olympic medals (USC 288, UCLA 251). Their combined Olympic medals account for more than 20% of all US medals. Both campuses feature iconic sporting venues that would feature prominently in the 2024 Games, including UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion, UCLA’s Tennis Center, USC’s Galen Center and, of course, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum operated by USC, which was the site of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and athletics events at both the 1932 and 1984 Games.
Beijing 2008 Olympic gold and London 2012 Olympic silver medalist hurdler and UCLA graduate Dawn Harper-Nelson said: “UCLA’s played a special and unforgettable part in my sporting career. It has always provided me with an environment in which to excel, and now I’m training for Rio 2016 at UCLA’s facilities. I have experienced both UCLA’s residences and two Olympic Villages, and UCLA measures up perfectly. I am delighted that athletes from across the world will have the opportunity to experience the university’s best-in-class facilities if LA is selected as host city.”
London 2012 Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast and current UCLA student Jordyn Wieber said: “As a current UCLA student and as Head Team Manager of the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team, I can vouch for the fantastic accommodation and sporting facilities that athletes will enjoy in 2024. I have greatly benefited from living, studying and training in an environment which prioritizes the needs of its students and I have every confidence this will also apply to the world’s Olympians and Paralympians.”
LA 2024 Vice Chair and Director of Athlete Relations Janet Evans said: “As a USC alum, I’m proud that the media, officials and other supporters of the athletes will have the opportunity to call USC’s world-class campus home during the Games. USC is already home to thousands of international students and offers housing of the highest possible quality. The proximity of this housing to LA’s sporting venues will transform the media’s Games-time experience, ensuring optimum living and working conditions.”
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said: “I would like to thank these two exemplary, global institutions for their support of our bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We have carefully chosen facilities that are sustainable, fiscally responsible and athlete-friendly. Both universities offer world-class facilities and occupy a special place in our city’s rich Olympic history. Today’s announcement reaffirms that their Olympic legacy lives on.”
Los Angeles City Council President Herb J. Wesson, Jr. said: “The final piece to Los Angeles’ Olympic puzzle has been secured. The LA 2024 bid is bringing together a diverse group of determined stakeholders and this partnership with our prestigious universities is just the latest example of our city’s collective effort to host the Games.”
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said: “We are thrilled by the opportunity to once again host the world’s athletes at UCLA, just as we did for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Our top-flight residential, dining and athletic facilities offer Olympians the perfect setting to prepare for competition and recover afterwards. UCLA and the Olympic Movement share the same ideals of athletic excellence and competition, as well as the conviction that international events such as these highlight our common humanity and build bridges of understanding and friendship between disparate nations and peoples. The LA 2024 Villages plan is an exciting choice for Los Angeles and for Bruins and Trojans all across the globe.”
USC President C. L. Max Nikias said: “USC takes great pride in its Olympic heritage, and there is tremendous excitement across the entire university community about our role in Los Angeles’ 2024 Olympic bid. Just as we did in 1984, USC will play host to a number of high profile sporting events at our state-of-the-art athletic facilities. In addition, we look forward to housing thousands of international reporters, officials and Games supporters on our University Park Campus. The opportunity to bring the Games to Los Angeles is not just important for our city, but for our nation, and I am confident that the world-class infrastructure – both at USC and at UCLA – will greatly strengthen the credentials of our bid.”
LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman said: “Today’s announcement marks a significant milestone in our bid to earn the honor of hosting the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We are fortunate to have the support of two outstanding universities who will help us deliver the ultimate, personalized athlete experience in 2024. UCLA’s state-of-the-art campus and accompanying world-class facilities provide the ideal environment for Olympians to live in and train as they prepare for the greatest competitions of their lives. LA 2024 is honored to have the support of USC to offer the media, officials and other key participants quality accommodations as we look to help the IOC reinvent and reimagine the Olympic experience for everyone.”
LA 2024 CEO Gene Sykes said: “LA 2024 is first and foremost focused on the athletes and when we looked across the city at possible accommodations options, it became clear that we can offer the best personalized experience for athletes and other participants through existing facilities at UCLA and USC. With these excellent residences at USC and UCLA, LA 2024 has developed an innovative Games Plan that aligns closely with Olympic Agenda 2020’s sustainability and fiscal discipline goals.”
LA City Councilmember Paul Koretz said: “As a UCLA graduate and as the councilmember representing this vibrant community, I’m proud that UCLA will be the site of the Olympic Village. The Olympic Village and the other UCLA venues give our residents and businesses the exciting opportunity to welcome the world to Westwood. Just as we did in 1984, we look forward to offering the athletes our finest hospitality as they pursue their Olympic dreams.”
Press release courtesy: USOC
