LA28 laser focused on sustainability

Image: LA28

Los Angeles 2028 has released its Impact and Sustainability Plan, presenting a vision of Olympic and Paralympic Games shaped by the city’s spirit of reinvention and resilience.

The LA28 Games themselves will be staged on a model of radical reuse, making use of LA’s existing world-class venues, from the historic Memorial Coliseum to cutting-edge arenas across the city.

This approach avoids new permanent construction while celebrating the city’s Olympic heritage.

At least 90% of materials used for temporary infrastructure and overlay at competition venues will be reused or recycled, and a community donation programme will ensure that equipment and materials used in 2028 are redistributed locally, extending their impact long after the Closing Ceremony.

Becky Dale LA28 Vice President of Sustainability said, “This plan is just the starting line. Our vision for LA28 is not only to minimise the environmental footprint of our operations, but to use the Games as a force to support the development of a more resilient Los Angeles.

“With LA’s existing world-class venues and strong track record of environmental leadership, we have a unique opportunity to build on local initiatives that are already underway and help amplify their impact.”

The 2028 Summer Olympics, officially 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 the United States.

Los Angeles will be the Host City with various events also scheduled to be held at the other Cities spread across the Greater Los Angeles area plus two subsites in Oklahoma City.

At the heart of the Impact and Sustainability Plan are four guiding principles: radical reuse, inclusivity, community benefit and resilience – from adapting existing infrastructure and resources to empowering people and businesses.

These priorities were shaped through a two-year consultation process that brought together external working groups on sustainability, workforce development and community business.

Made up of civil society organisations, labour representatives, academics and civic leaders, they helped incorporate the perspectives and priorities of Angelenos.

One of the most distinctive initiatives is “Resilient by Nature”, created in response to Los Angeles’ recent experience with devastating wildfires.

The programme will support projects that help communities prepare for future shocks while showcasing solutions that can be replicated globally.

It will deploy a range of tools – from grant-making to volunteerism to educational campaigns – to pursue positive impacts across three focus areas: wildfire resilience and nature restoration, ocean protection, and cooling solutions.

As part of the programme, LA28 will launch a Community Resilience Fund by early 2026, which will provide grants to local non-profits to support projects across the three focus areas.

LA28 is also a recent signatory of the Sports for Nature Framework, formalising its commitment to leveraging the power of sport to protect and restore nature in the Los Angeles region.

Equally central is PlayLA, a $160 million investment – co-founded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and LA28 – making youth sport affordable and accessible.

With more than one million enrolments already across 40 different sports, the programme is creating opportunities for children and young people of all abilities, embedding a powerful social legacy well before the Games begin.

Finally, LA28’s Community Business Supplier Programme will channel the economic benefits of the Games directly into the region, with a commitment that 75 per cent of procurement will go to local businesses and 25 per cent to small businesses – a model designed to create a legacy of growth and empowerment.

As Los Angeles prepares to host its third Olympic Games – and its first Paralympic Games – the plan underscores how each edition both builds on the past and adapts to the present.

The plan envisages Games that reduce negative impacts, maximise positive ones, and create lasting value for societies, all while adapting to the realities and opportunities of Los Angeles.

Marie Sallois IOC Director for Sustainability said, “Recent Games editions, particularly Paris 2024, showed the power of the Games to accelerate transformation, from new transport links to expanded green spaces.

“LA28 is now charting its own course. The underlying principle is the same – minimising negative impacts and maximising positive ones – but the execution is distinctly Californian: relying on iconic existing venues, investing in resilience, and designing programmes that respond directly to the needs of Angelenos today.”

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