From Los Angeles to Paris: An Olympic Journey Through Time 🏅🕊️🕰️
A four-decade journey from 1984 to 2024 and beyond.
Bonjour, mes amis, enthousiastes olympiques, et voyageurs amoureux de la paix!
Lace-up your racing flats and pack your gear, we’re taking an epic journey through time, revisiting the magic of the Olympic Games.
From my first-hand experience in Los Angeles in 1984 to the spectacular event in Paris in 2024, let’s take an Olympic journey together.
It’s been four decades since I first experienced the magic of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles as a student at UCLA. I was fortunate enough to be there in person as a volunteer inside the Olympic Village, working back-to-back shifts as a UCLA Community Service Officer, and trading pins in bustling Westwood. Those memories are as vivid today as they were then.
Paris, the City of Light or Ville Lumière, is hosting for the Summer Olympics in 2024 for the third time, and the first time since 1924. I love the Opening and Closing Ceremonies almost as much as the events. This year promises to be the largest in Olympic history, with athletes traveling by boat through the heart of Paris on the Seine River for the Parade of Nations. They will pass iconic landmarks such as Notre-Dame, Pont-Neuf, and the Louvre. The parade will culminate at the Trocadéro, near the Eiffel Tower. Now, doesn’t that sound like a fantastic boat cruise!
2024 Olympics in Paris, France 🇫🇷🗼🏆
Paris is set to shine even brighter with the incredible venues, new sports making their debut, and athletes from around the globe competing for glory.
The Olympic Games have come a long way since their inception in ancient Greece, around 3,000 years ago. Originally held in Olympia to honor Zeus, the Games featured footraces, pentathlon, boxing, chariot racing, and pankration, an ancient Greek martial art, that combines techniques from boxing and wrestling, along with kicks, holds, joint locks, and chokes. It was a fierce contest with few rules, often ending when one fighter conceded defeat or was unconscious.
Over the years, the Olympic Games have changed significantly.
Today, athletes compete in events from Aquatics to Wrestling. Athletes dive, race, field, shoot hoops and arrows, bump, set, and spike the ball, box, and even breakdance. They navigate waters in canoes, cycle on tracks, and demonstrate equestrian skills. They duel in fencing, score in football, and swing in golf. Gymnasts perform acrobatics, handball players leap, paddlers ping pong and float, and hockey teams field. Judokas grapple, pentathletes showcase versatility, and rowers power through the water. Rugby players tackle, sailors navigate winds, and shooters aim with precision. Skateboarders perform tricks, climbers scale heights, and surfers ride waves. Table tennis players volley, taekwondo athletes punch, and tennis stars smash. Triathletes swim, cycle, and run, volleyball players spike, and weightlifters lift heavy weights. Wrestlers grapple on the mat.
1984: A Year to Remember 🎾🏐 🤸
Wow! Things were certainly different 40 years ago in 1984, Reagon was President, I was a young student at UCLA, and Los Angeles was buzzing with the energy of the Games of the XXIII Olympiad
6,829 athletes from 140 nations came together in Los Angeles, participating in 221 events across 21 sports. However, the Games were not without their share of controversy. A boycott led by the Soviet Union, involving 14 Eastern Bloc countries and allies, cast a shadow over the proceedings. This was a response to the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, protesting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
UCLA in the Spotlight 🐻🏅🎉
UCLA is represented well at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A staggering 49 Bruins are participating including students, alumni, and staff from 18 countries, competing or coaching in a diverse range of sports.
And let’s talk about versatility! UCLA Bruins are showcasing their athletic abilities in a whopping 12 different sports. From water polo to volleyball, from gymnastics to golf, from swimming & diving to tennis, and even beach volleyball - the Bruins are set to make waves in Paris. The Bruins are coming, and they’re ready to roar!
Looking back to the summer of 1984, UCLA athletes made their mark at the Olympics. Bruins clinched 37 medals: 17 gold, 14 silver, and six bronze. Mitch Gaylord was the first American gymnast to score a perfect 10 in the Olympics and logged four medals in total. In track and field, Evelyn Ashford set an Olympic record in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.97 seconds.
In 1984, UCLA transformed into an international athletic hub and Olympic Village for the Los Angeles Olympics. The campus hosted various sports events, with the Los Angeles Tennis Center, John Wooden and Sunset Canyon Recreation centers, and Pauley Pavilion drawing in spectators from around the world. The Olympic Village, housing over 4,000 people, became a vibrant microcosm of global unity, with daily ceremonies and a festive atmosphere.
Volunteers and UCLA staff, like me, played a crucial role in the success of the Games, with some even helping athletes communicate with their families.
Check out these great photos!
Excited for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles 🇺🇸🎖️
UCLA will host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Village athletes.
I can’t wait and plan to be there again in person!
It’s not too early to book your trip for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles!
Let’s go!
