By Geoff Berkeley |
New Los Angeles 2028 chief executive Kathy Carter has stressed the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be delivered “on time and on budget”.
Carter was recently promoted from chief revenue officer to the top job within the Organising Committee of the Games.
Los Angeles is set to stage the Olympics and Paralympics in seven years’ time and Carter is convinced the Games will leave a lasting legacy on the host city.
Speaking to Reuters, Carter confirmed Los Angeles 2028 will cost about $6.9 billion (£5 million/€5.88 million) but insisted the project would benefit from the use of existing venues.
“First and foremost, we’re going to host a Games that are on time and on budget,” said Carter.
“There are a lot of things we can do to make it very easy for the athletes, the stakeholders and ultimately the fans to engage and to experience the Games.
“But for us that’s the start, not the end, because we believe if that’s all we do, we will have missed a moment to do even more.”
Last month, Los Angeles 2028 pledged to invest $160 million (£115 million/€136 million) into grassroots sport across the city.
The initiative, supported by the International Olympic Committee, is to ensure sport is more accessible than ever for children prior to the Games.
Carter said it was important to get the programmes underway well in advance of the Games.
“We didn’t want to wait until 2029, after we’ve closed the Games and settled the books, to start impacting kids participation in sport,” said Carter.
“So we’ve made getting kids playing and reducing barriers to entry a key part of our initiative.
“We believe we will be able to improve the lives of the kids in the city of Los Angeles.
“We said, ‘Don’t trust us, we’ll show you, starting with youth sports’.
“And it’s incumbent upon us to continue to do that.”
Carter claimed the staging of the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics during the coronavirus pandemic highlighted areas Los Angeles 2028 organisers needed to focus on, insisting “you can never be overprepared for the unexpected”.
“It really puts a finer point on what we have to build from an organisational perspective to be able to manage the unexpected,” Carter added.
“What kind of team, systems and process do we have to put in place, because no matter what we can dream up, we have to be prepared for the unknown.
“I think that’s the key takeaway for everyone in business, let alone the sports and entertainment and big event businesses.”
Los Angeles 2028 has been without a chief executive since financial expert Gene Sykes departed in December 2018.
Carter, a founding member of Major League Soccer who has overseen organisers signing deals with companies including Delta and Deloitte since joining Los Angeles 2028, will report to Organising Committee chairman Casey Wasserman.
Republished with permission from insidethegames.biz.