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25th Anniversary Celebration of the Los Angeles Olympic Games

25 Years Ago

Los Angeles Made Olympic History…

You are invited to a gala dinner and program
celebrating the 25th anniversary of the
1984 Olympic Games.
This special event will be held on the floor of
the famed Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
and also will serve as a reunion
for LAOOC employees and volunteers.

Sponsored by:
The Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games
and
The Los Angeles Sports Council

Please save the date!
SATURDAY, JULY 18, 2009

For information and tickets, please call (213) 482-6352 or update your contact information or to register your friends so that everyone can be included!


Among the many innovations and memorable features of the 1984 Olympic Games were:


  • In competition, 6,829 athletes from 140 countries took part in the Games.
  • For the first time, volunteers comprised a significant portion of the Games workforce. Approximately 30,000 volunteers were part of the staffing plan.
  • The dates for the Games (July 28 – August 12) were virtually identical to those for the first Los Angeles Olympic Games of 1932 (July 30 – August 14). In both cases, the Opening Ceremony was held on a Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
  • For the first time since the Los Angeles Olympic Games of 1932, the Games finished in the black financially. The Organizing Committee realized a surplus of $235 million.
  • The Organizing Committee received no revenues from taxes. The primary revenue sources were television rights sales, ticket sales and sponsorships.
  • A record 5.7 million tickets were sold, or 83% of capacity.
  • Los Angeles was permitted to add two “demonstration sports” to the program and selected baseball and tennis, both of which subsequently were added to the Games as medal sports.
  • The first-ever Olympic women’s marathon was held.
  • A 10-week Olympic Arts Festival preceded the Games and celebrated the cultural richness of Los Angeles and The United States through well-attended programs in dance, music, theater and visual arts.
  • The 1984 Games were the first to use colorful themed graphics to surround the field of play at each venue. The term “look of the Games” came into common usage as a result of Los Angeles’ innovative design program. (http://www.the84games.com)