Thirty years after Atlanta welcomed the world for the 1996 Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is coming back — and Atlanta will be its first stop in the United States.
LA28 made the announcement Tuesday at Atlanta City Hall, where Mayor Andre Dickens joined Olympic leaders and legends to celebrate Atlanta’s place in Olympic history and what’s coming next.
Beginning in spring 2028, the Olympic Torch Relay will travel through all 50 states on its way to Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic Games. And that historic journey across America will start right here in Atlanta.
“Atlanta was proud to carry the flame in 1996. We will be proud to welcome it back,” Mayor Dickens said.
From Atlanta 1996 to LA28
Tuesday’s announcement brought together some familiar faces from Atlanta’s Olympic story, including four-time Olympic gold medalist Janet Evans, Lonnie Ali and Billy Payne, who led the organizing committee for the 1996 Olympic Games.
Evans was the person who carried the Olympic flame to Muhammad Ali before he lit the cauldron during the unforgettable Opening Ceremony of the 1996 Games.
Lonnie Ali recalled that night and what the moment ultimately meant to her husband.
“I’ve never forgotten what Atlanta gave him that night, gave our family that night,” she said.
Now, the flame that created one of Atlanta’s most iconic moments will return to the city.
There’s plenty more to come as plans for the 2028 relay take shape. But one thing is official: before the Olympic flame travels across America and heads west to Los Angeles, its journey will begin in Atlanta.
As Janet Evans put it Tuesday: “The road to Los Angeles starts right here in Atlanta.”
