LOS ANGELES – Five-time Olympic medalist and LA 2024 Vice Chair Janet Evans today championed the bid’s commitment to advancing women’s equality in sport at Mayor Eric Garcetti’s inaugural State of Women & Girls Address and Young Women’s Assembly. Held at USC’s picturesque campus, the site of LA 2024’s proposed Media Village, Main Press Center and temporary state-of-the-art aquatics facility, the event convened more than 700 Angeleno girls, young women and trans youth for in-depth conversations, panels, and presentations on the state of women’s equality in Los Angeles.
Evans was joined for her sport-focused discussion by LA84 Foundation President and CEO Renata Simril; Olympic gold medalist, LA 2024 Athletes’ Advisory Commission Member and UCLA student Jordyn Wieber; Olympic gold medalist Carmelita Jeter; and sport business leader Blanca Gonzalez, Nike’s West Territory Vice President and General Manager. The Young Women’s Assembly also featured civic and thought leaders leading workshops, leadership training, and panel discussions exploring the achievements, challenges and opportunities for women in the business, entertainment, finance, technology, and public sectors.
LA 2024 bid leaders hailed the event as a reflection of LA 2024’s Women in Sport commitment. Released on International Women’s Day, the commitment enshrines LA 2024’s policies designed to enable women throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Movements to achieve their goals, in sport and in life. Find the full text of LA 2024’s Women in Sport commitment here: https://la24.org/media/38-intl
LA 2024 Vice Chair and Director of Athlete Relations Janet Evans said: “It was an honor to join Mayor Eric Garcetti and LA First Lady Amy Elaine Wakeland today for the first-ever LA State of Women & Girls Address and Young Women’s Assembly. Angelenos are not only united behind our dream of bringing the Games back to the US for the first time in 28 years, but also behind our desire to see women competing on equal footing with men in every aspect of life. When women succeed, we all succeed. LA 2024 is fully committed to promoting women’s equality in and through sport throughout the build-up to the Games and beyond – because a better Games and stronger Olympic and Paralympic Movements for women means a better Games and stronger Olympic and Paralympic Movements for everybody.”
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said: “We were honored to have several Olympians in our Young Women’s Assembly — they showed us that to ‘Compete Like a Woman’ means excelling and overcoming obstacles in everything you do. These remarkable athletes embody the power of hard work and determination to make big dreams come true, and offered inspiration and a path forward to the hundreds of young women who attended this inaugural event.”
