LA28 launches volunteer program, opens registration

LOS ANGELES :Los Angeles 2028 on Thursday launched a volunteer program that invites residents to sign up for community service events ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with details on Games-time roles to come in 2026.

LA28 says the early start is designed to build a volunteer culture well before the Opening Ceremony and expand the region's volunteer base. Residents can register their interest at LA28.org.

LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover told Reuters the program aims to harness the city's "spirit of volunteerism" well before the Opening Ceremony, positioning Los Angeles as a model for future hosts.

GIVING BACK

Seeing how LA residents came together to support one another in the wake of the January wildfires that devastated the region served as an inspiration for the program, Hoover said.

"We all just took a pause and said we want people to think about us as not just an organizing committee but also as a civic organization that is giving back to the community," he said.

"By doing a volunteer program now, bringing people together, it shows that our commitment to resiliency, our commitment to giving back to our communities, and the commitment of all of us to help our neighbors when they're in need."

He said the volunteers at the Paris Games last year left a lasting impression on him.

"They were the first people you saw at the airport," he said.

"They were on every street corner. They were at every metro stop. They were at every venue. They were always happy."

LA28 expects to recruit more volunteers than the 45,000 that were on hand in Paris.

"These are the biggest Games in the history of the Olympic movement, so we will need more than that, probably between 50,000 and 75,000," Hoover said.

He added that early participation in the