LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles 2024 today unveiled the official logo and slogan for its candidature to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to the United States for the first time in 28 years. On the top floor of the USC Downtown skyscraper, with panoramic views of the City’s 2024 Games venues, coastline and mountains as the backdrop, more than 100 Olympians and Paralympians joined bid leaders and civic officials to proudly unveil the LA 2024 logo. The soaring figure of the logo is a symbol of athletes reaching for their dreams, the original Spanish name for Los Angeles “the City of Angels,” and the Angeleno spirit of optimism and progress that defines Southern California.
The figure is illuminated, lifted and empowered by the rays of the sun, which emanate from a sparkling point of light at the figure’s heart—a palette of colors often seen in the city sky both at dawn and sunset. The sun itself, which LA calls its brightest star, inspires LA 2024’s slogan, Follow the Sun.
As LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman said, “Everyday people follow the sun to our city in pursuit of their dreams, spurring unprecedented creativity, innovation and progress. We’re inviting the world to Follow the Sun to California in 2024, to join us in LA for an Olympic and Paralympic Games that signal the dawn of a new era for the Olympic Movement.”
Follow the Sun is also a reference to LA’s year-round sunshine, as well as the “perennial optimism and constant reinvention” that characterize the world’s entertainment capital.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said: “We all know that Los Angeles is a city that breathes Olympism. It’s in our DNA. But this logo is about more than Angelenos’ love for the Games. This logo capture’s the essence of LA – a soaring belief that through hard work, creativity and ingenuity, we can follow the sun and reach the highest levels of success. It is with that commitment, that we are excited to continue following our dream of bringing the Games back to a city that loves them.”
The unveiling ceremony took place as the California sun filled the sky with rich pink, purple and orange hues that feature prominently in the bid’s logo.
In addition to LA 2024 Chair Casey Wasserman, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, LA 2024 Vice Chair and Director of Athlete Relations Janet Evans and USOC Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Baird, the ceremony also featured Brazilian Olympic swimmer and silver medalist Thiago Pereira. In further celebration of the Olympic Movement, the unveiling ceremony was followed by a screening of the upcoming film “Race” from Focus Features, which tells the story of legendary US track-and-field athlete Jesse Owens and his preparations for the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany.
USOC Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Baird said: “I believe this is just the beginning of the immense creative potential we’re going to see from the LA Olympic 2024 bid. I love the feeling of optimism and progress that is captured by the logo’s design and the sense of promise in the message of the theme. With the prospects of marrying sport, innovation and entertainment in new ways, LA 2024 can be a new beginning for California, our nation and the Olympic Movement worldwide.”
LA 2024 Vice Chair and Director of Athlete Relations Janet Evans said: “Our logo puts the athlete at the pinnacle of our Olympic celebration, which is a reflection of the place of the athlete in our overall plan. We wanted an emblem that signaled our dedication to creating the most amazing experience possible for every participant in our Games—and we wanted a slogan that instantly conveyed the distinct advantage of our beautiful, year-round weather and the inviting optimism of our natural environment. And I think we got both.”
The logo as well as the film that was used for the logo’s presentation were designed by Los Angeles-based creative agency 72andSunny. Other brand elements, including LA 2024’s official brand guidelines, were designed by Bruce Mau Design.
“Like hundreds of other Olympians from around the world, I choose to train here and to live in Los Angeles, and I’m honored to celebrate its Olympic dream today,” said Brazilian Olympic swimmer and silver medalist Thiago Pereira. “The City of Angels is a beautiful city, full of sunshine and full of that uniquely Californian trait—optimism. Los Angeles is a city for everybody. This summer, I will have the chance to experience the Games on home soil in Rio; and if LA gets the 2024 Games, I will have that chance again because in reality, Los Angeles is also my home too.”
For more information visit LA24.org and www.focusfeatures.com/race
LA 2024 can also be found on the following social media channels:
Twitter.com/LA2024
Facebook.com/LA2024
Instagram.com/LA2024
YouTube.com/LA2024