Los Angeles’ bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games announced Monday that it will sponsor the city’s LA Hacks hackathon event for the second straight year, bringing together some of America’s brightest young minds for a weekend of innovation offering promising technology possibilities for 2024.
The event, to be held March 31 to April 2, will take place at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion, the proposed venue for Olympic judo, wrestling and Paralympic sitting volleyball should LA be awarded the right to host the Games.
The event showcases student programmers who will work intensively around the clock on software and hardware across a variety of categories, including two LA 2024 categories on sports entertainment and fitness. US Olympic skier, former NFL player and CEO of marketing software company Integrate Jeremy Bloom will deliver a keynote address at the opening ceremony.
Bid leadership described the event as “a remarkable opportunity” to underline LA 2024’s promise of delivering “the most high-tech, personalized Games experience in history, and as a reflection of LA 2024’s approach to harnessing California’s creativity, innovation and connection with youth culture.”
LA Hacks President and current UCLA student Luke Chui said: “LA 2024’s involvement with LA Hacks last year was further proof of young people’s love for the Olympic and Paralympic Games – participants jumped at the opportunity to contribute to creating the most innovative Games experience in history. I personally cannot wait to see what our students come up with this year.”
LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman said “LA 2024 believes that the Olympic and Paralympic Games can light the flame of creativity and innovation in the next generation of creators and innovators, to both deliver the most high-tech Games in history in 2024 and to revolutionize the way athletes and fans engage with sport in the future.”
“LA 2024 is proud to support LA Hacks because we believe that the time to begin innovating for 2024 is now. LA Hacks is a snapshot of how LA 2024 will harness our city’s creativity to re-engage the world’s youth and grow each sport to secure the long-term financial stability of the Olympic Movement.”
Los Angeles and rival Paris are in a two-horse race to host the Games in 2024. The winner will be elected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) September 13 in Lima, Peru.
