Swimmer Michael Phelps and tennis champion Andre Agassi are among the dozens of Olympic and Paralympic athletes that have joined the effort to bring the Olympics to Los Angeles, LA 2024 bid committee officials announced today.
Other big names who have signed on to advise on and promote Los Angeles’ Olympic bid include tennis star Venus Williams, track and field athletes Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson, gymnast Nadia Comaneci, and winter Olympians like speedskater Apolo Ohno, snowboarder Amy Purdy and figure skaters Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan.
The Olympians and Paralympians make up a 53-person Athletes’ Advisory Commission that will lead a series of town halls around the country to solicit feedback from fellow athletes. Its members have collectively won 216 medals in the Games, including 142 golds.
LA 2024 bid committee officials said more athletes will continue to be added to the commission, which was officially announced at the United States Olympic Committee media summit held in Beverly Hills today.
Janet Evans, the LA 2024 bid committee’s vice chair and director of athlete relations, said the commission “will be front and center as we create the most personalized experience ever for Olympians and Paralympians.”
Lewis, who has 10 Olympic medals, said being part of a commission that includes “legends” like Evans, runner Dawn Harper-Nelson and wheelchair and ski racer Candace Cable “is not only thrilling, it is humbling.”
“Every athlete on this stage knows that the real legacy of a Games is measured in the lives, dreams and aspirations of young athletes, long after the Games are over,” Lewis said. “This AAC will help LA 2024 create a Games concept that provides the perfect experience for athletes, and ultimately, we hope, helps the Olympic and Paralympic movement inspire a brand new generation of Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls.”
The International Olympic Committee is scheduled to select a host city for the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics during a meeting in Lima, Peru in September 2017.
