LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Today, the LA County Board of Supervisors voted to pass a motion authored by Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, and co-authored by Chair Janice Hahn, on uplifting arts, culture, and recreation during the 2023, 2026, and 2027 FIFA World Cups and 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In the summer of 2026, the FIFA Men’s World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The City of LA was chosen as one of the 16 host cities for the 2026 tournament and may even host the final match. Moreover, the soccer federations of the United States and Mexico recently declared their joint bid to host the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The United States has hosted the women’s tournament twice before – in 1999 and 2003. In both of those tournaments, LA hosted the finals.

In 2028, the City of LA will host the Paralympic Games for the first time and the Summer Olympic Games for the third time.

The Olympic Movement has a rich history of engaging and working with Los Angeles’ arts community. For ten weeks before the 1984 Olympics, Los Angeles hosted the Olympics Arts Festival. Reports show that over 1.25 million people attended the festival which included dance, music, and theater performances as well as visual arts commissions, exhibits, and events. The legacy of the festival can still be seen today, including along key transportation arteries like the 101 Freeway in Downtown LA which remain decorated with murals commissioned for the festival.

“The Olympics, Paralympics, and World Cup are more than just sporting events. They are occasions for the world to come together, celebrate global cultures, and appreciate the value of play and fair competition. As the City of LA hosts these games, LA County should seize the opportunity to create opportunities for everyone to participate in arts, culture, and recreation programming,” said Supervisor Solis, who authored the motion.

“LA County is one of the great creative capitals of the world, and the eyes of the world will be on us for the Men’s and Women’s World Cups, and the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics. We want to maximize these opportunities to not only welcome visitors but to showcase our art and culture,” said Chair Hahn, who co-authored the motion.

To ensure that all residents of LA County can participate in and enjoy Olympic and Paralympic-inspired arts and cultural events, the LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (Metro) Board of Directors approved a motion authored by Supervisor Solis, acting as a Metro Board Member and Chair of Metro’s Ad Hoc 2028 Olympics Committee, at its September 2022 meeting directing the agency to develop a new open streets grant program.

The motion directed Metro to work with various partners, including LA County’s Department of Arts and Culture and Department of Parks and Recreation, the City of LA, LA28, the 2028 games’ organizing committee, and many community-based organizations.

The motion approved today directs the LA County’s Chief Executive Office, in collaboration with the Department of Arts and Culture and the Department of Parks and Recreation, to support Metro to apply for funds, as well as leverage County resources, through Metro’s open streets grant program that will transform streets, transportation facilities, and public spaces into temporary art, culture, and recreation hubs for local communities, with an emphasis on underserved communities, to celebrate the 2026 Men’s’ World Cup, 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and, if hosted in Los Angeles, the 2027 Women’s Games.

The motion also directs the Department of Parks and Recreation, in collaboration with the Department of Arts and Culture, to identify opportunities to host viewing parties and other events for this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup that celebrates and promotes women in sports.

Lastly, the motion directs the Department of Arts and Culture to convene a committee made up of County agencies and departments on cross-sector opportunities to celebrate the 2026 Men’s’ World Cup, 2028 Olympic, and Paralympic Games, and, if hosted in Los Angeles, the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

To read the full motion, click here.

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