What’s the latest regarding Tokyo and the Olympics? What are LA28’s plans ahead of the Games and how have you been impacted?
While Tokyo 2020 will look different from previous Games, we’re incredibly excited to see the world’s best athletes come together to compete. We hope the Games will be a beautiful illustration of human achievement and celebration through sport and look forward to cheering on Team USA and the incredible athletes around the world. Because of our long runway and the benefit of time, we are very much on track with LA28 Games planning.
The LA28 emblem is strong and bold and allows for infinite possibilities, reflecting the spirit of L.A. as ever-evolving and looking toward the future.
CSQ is based in L.A. We did an Olympics-themed issue a few years ago with Allyson Felix and Janet Evans on the cover. We’re excited for 2028! On one hand, the L.A. Games are still seven+ years away. On the other hand, time flies and the world just lost at least one year. What’s a typical week like for you, this far out?
Having this extra time creates a great opportunity to ensure an amazing LA28 experience for athletes, fans, and our community not only in 2028, but in the lead up as well. While we’re still very much in the early days, we are working to highlight the many voices of L.A. to write the LA28 story together. Los Angeles is a city that defies a singular identity. We’re a collection of individuals and stories that come together to make L.A. what it is: a city where everyone is different and where creativity flourishes in that diversity.
When we launched our LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games emblem last year, we knew we had to express that limitless storytelling through the LA28 identity. The LA28 emblem is strong and bold and allows for infinite possibilities, reflecting the spirit of L.A. as ever-evolving and looking toward the future. Olympians, Paralympians, artists, entertainers, and activists can share their stories through their own unique A in the LA28 emblem. And importantly, with seven years to go, the emblem is dynamic and designed to stay fresh and relevant as we continue on our journey to the LA28 Games.
The XX Project panel you are participating in is being held in support of the Women’s Sports Foundation. Could you share more on LA28’s commitment to diversity, equity, and representation?
L.A.’s strength is in its diversity. It’s a place unlike any other. Here in L.A., we have hundreds of cultures coming together with different beliefs, different backgrounds, different languages, and deeply personal stories. We celebrate individuality and self-expression and make space for everyone while coming together as one community. The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games are a chance to shine a light on those stories and be more inclusive and equitable around stories that may be underrepresented. One example is telling stories of people with disabilities. While 2028 will be the third time Los Angeles hosts the Olympic Games, it’s the first time the Paralympic Games will be in L.A. We have an unprecedented chance to raise awareness and understanding for people living with physical disabilities, not only in 2028, but ahead of the Games as well, through storytelling, policies, and advocacy.
Your panel is also in part about how to “tap into your true potential to maximize opportunity physically and mentally in your personal and professional life.” What’s one key lesson you hope the audience takes away?
We are all creative. We can all tap into our individual creativity and build new ideas, particularly when we come together to create with others. Embracing our differences and different points of view is the key to collective success and building a future we all want to see.