With just over two years remaining until the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) provided a comprehensive update following its latest Board of Directors meeting, outlining new athlete initiatives, governance changes, and preparations for what officials believe will be one of the busiest periods in the organization’s history.
USOPC Board Chair Gene Sykes emphasized that while the organization’s first board meeting of the year focused on reflecting upon the Milano-Cortina Winter Games, attention has now fully shifted toward hosting both LA28 and the 2034 Winter Games in Utah.
Among the biggest announcements was the International Olympic Committee’s introduction of the “Fit for the Future” program, which will award every Olympian competing beginning with the 2026 Winter Games a $10,000 grant. The funding is designed to support athletic development as well as career transitions after competition, complementing the USOPC’s own growing financial wellness initiatives for Team USA athletes.
Sykes also highlighted the IOC’s newly adopted discipline-based evaluation system for Olympic sports. Rather than guaranteeing permanent places for entire sports, individual disciplines will now be evaluated on governance, global appeal, cost, and athlete representation, creating greater flexibility for future Olympic hosts while providing athletes and national governing bodies with clearer timelines for event selection.
Preparations for LA28 continue to accelerate. According to Sykes, planning across venues, transportation, staffing, and athlete experience has ramped up considerably following recent coordination meetings in Los Angeles. Early ticket demand has already exceeded available inventory, while applications for approximately 60,000 Games volunteers are scheduled to open on July 14, exactly two years before the Opening Ceremony. Paralympic ticket sales are expected to begin in 2027.
USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland echoed the optimism surrounding the organization’s preparations, calling the road to LA28 unlike anything Team USA has previously experienced. She also announced that Sykes had been reappointed to another four-year term as Board Chair.
Hirshland highlighted several milestones from the organization’s recently released 2025 Impact Report, including the historic $100 million Ross Stevens Financial Security Award, which will provide long-term financial benefits to Olympians and Paralympians beginning with athletes competing at Milano-Cortina 2026. More than 300 eligible athletes from those Games are expected to receive over $60 million in combined support. Additional investments in sports science, mental health services, recovery research, and performance technology were also outlined, alongside more than $150 million in new philanthropic commitments raised during 2025.
Looking beyond Los Angeles, Hirshland also reaffirmed the USOPC’s support for the Protect College Sports Act, arguing that a strong collegiate athletics system remains critical to sustaining Team USA’s Olympic and Paralympic pipeline amid increasing international investment in athlete development.
The briefing concluded with questions from reporters regarding Olympic discipline selection, commercial planning for future Games, athlete eligibility policies, and leadership changes surrounding the Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games organizing committee. Throughout the session, USOPC leadership emphasized that athlete support, governance modernization, and long-term competitive success remain at the center of preparations as Team USA enters the final stretch toward hosting the world’s largest sporting event on home soil.
- USOPC Highlights Athlete Support, LA28 Preparations, and Governance Updates Ahead of 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games
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