Team OKC, the group spearheading OKC’s Olympics planning, currently has just one staff member: President Michael Byrnes. He spoke at a luncheon hosted by the Greater OKC Chamber on Wednesday, explaining where the city’s preparations stand.
Byrnes said he’s been working to understand the vision of LA28, the main Olympics organizer, so OKC can develop its own Olympic experience that’s cohesive yet unique.
Byrnes says an LA official with five Olympics under his belt came to see Devon Park, where OKC will host softball events.
“He looked at it and kind of off the cuff said, I think you'll need 1,000 to 1,200 volunteers a day over the course of the eight days that will have events there,” Byrnes said. “Is that the true number? Who knows, but it's far beyond what I would have guessed.”
Byrnes said building up volunteer networks and preparing local businesses for an influx of people will be a huge part of the next 1,100-ish days.
Oklahoma City will also need to house the approximately 200 athletes competing here, aiming to provide a similar experience to that of athletes staying in LA. Byrnes didn’t disclose a location for OKC’s Olympic Village, but he said the city already has what it needs to accommodate them.
“It goes back to a passion from the [International Olympic Committee] on not creating new infrastructure that doesn't have long term use, and we have incredible facilities here,” he said. “There's much further process that needs to develop in terms of finalizing where the athletes will stay, but we won't be building new in order to host the athletes.”
As for spectators? Byrnes didn’t offer an estimate for how many would be making their way to Oklahoma in 2028. But he said he thinks it could be a good opportunity for middle Americans to watch the games.
“With our central location in the United States, I believe we're going to be really accessible to a lot of people that want to be part of America's games and maybe aren't prepared or don't have the opportunity to travel to Southern California,” he said.
Byrnes said Team OKC is also looking for ways to involve the city’s young people and “get as many people to touch and feel the Olympic experience.”
“That's what's going to allow us to really build momentum and build excitement and make it so that 10 or 20 years down the road, so many people in our community are going to say, ‘Yeah, I had a part in that,’” he said.
