The Olympic torch relay for the 2028 Los Angeles Games will begin its United States journey in Atlanta and pass through all 50 states before reaching California, organizers announced on Tuesday, September 29. The flame is due to be lit in Olympia, Greece, and brought to the United States in spring 2028. Atlanta's selection links the next American Summer Games to the city that hosted the event in 1996, according to the Associated Press.
The announcement gives the cross-country relay its first confirmed US starting city. LA28, the Los Angeles organizing committee, has previously described a nationwide route, but has yet to publish its complete itinerary. The committee says that detailed route information will be released in 2027, leaving the sequence of states, individual stops and torchbearer arrangements to be confirmed.
Organizers plan for the flame to pass major landmarks and to appear at cultural and sporting events as it travels west. LA28 also expects festival celebrations in selected cities. Those plans would make the relay a national public event in the months before the Games, although the organizers have not yet identified every participating community or announced a precise departure date from Atlanta.
LA28 chair and president Casey Wasserman said the aim is to share the flame's journey with people across the country ahead of the opening ceremony. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens welcomed the city's role and pointed to its Olympic history. Their comments, reported by the Associated Press, frame the starting point as a connection between the 1996 Atlanta Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The Olympic competition is scheduled for July 14 to 30, 2028, according to LA28's official ticket information. A separate Paralympic torch relay is planned after the Olympics end. Its flame will originate in Stoke Mandeville, England, a place associated with the beginnings of the Paralympic movement; organizers have not yet announced where that relay will start in the United States.
The immediate next step is publication of the full Olympic relay route in 2027. Until then, Atlanta is the confirmed US launch city and all 50 states are part of the announced plan, but local dates and stops remain open. The Associated Press said Coca-Cola, JPMorganChase, Allstate and Xfinity will sponsor both the Olympic and Paralympic relays.
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