Thirty years ago, the Olympic flame began its first journey across America, covering just over 16,000 miles across 42 states before kick-starting the 1996 Olympics. Now, the flame will return to the city that hosted those Games, but this time, its journey across the country will go even further. Ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the torch will travel through all 50 states, with Atlanta serving as the starting point of its American journey.

LA28 announced Tuesday that Atlanta will welcome the Olympic flame when it arrives from Greece in spring 2028, before the torch begins its historic trip across the country. For the first time, every U.S. state will be part of an Olympic Torch Relay.

The choice of Atlanta carries its own piece of Olympic history. The city hosted the last Summer Olympics on American soil in 1996, exactly 30 years before the flame returns as part of the buildup to LA28. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens reflected on that connection, recalling how the 1996 Games changed the city and introduced a modern Atlanta to audiences around the world.

“Thirty years ago, Atlanta welcomed the world. The 1996 Centennial Olympic Games changed this city,” Dickens said. “They introduced a modern Atlanta to billions of people across the globe and proved we could compete on the biggest international stage. Thirty years later, Atlanta looks a little different. We are bigger. We are more connected to the world.”

“So, when the flame returns to the U.S., Atlanta will be ready. Ready to welcome it from Greece. Ready to celebrate the spirit of the Games together as a community,” she added. “And ready to send it forward toward Los Angeles and the next chapter of America’s Olympic story. Atlanta was proud to carry that flame in 1996. We will be proud to welcome it back.”

The flame will first be lit in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games. From there, it will make its way to the United States before beginning the 50-state relay. LA28 plans to reveal the complete route in 2027.

Atlanta’s connection to the Olympic Movement runs deeper than the 1996 Games. The city is also home to Coca-Cola, which has partnered with the Olympic Movement for nearly a century. Coca-Cola first became a Presenting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay at Barcelona 1992.

That history will add another layer when the flame arrives in Atlanta in 2028. The city will not simply serve as the first U.S. stop; it will mark the beginning of a journey designed to take the Olympic spirit into communities across the country.

LA28 says the relay will pass through major landmarks and cultural and sporting events, while selected cities will host celebrations along the route. The public will also have an opportunity to become torchbearers through a nomination process, with further details expected later.

The scale represents a significant expansion from previous American Olympic relays. In 1984, the Los Angeles Games torch traveled through 33 states. For Atlanta 1996, the relay reached 42 states and even made an extraordinary trip into space aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia.

This time, LA28 is taking the flame to every state. And for LA28 president Casey Wasserman, that nationwide reach is at the heart of the idea.

What did LA28 President Casey Wasserman say?

“Every Olympic Games begins with a single flame, and carrying that flame to Los Angeles is an honor and privilege that we’ll share with every corner of the country,” Wasserman said.

He described Atlanta as a fitting starting point because of its Olympic roots while highlighting the role of Coca-Cola and the relay’s other presenting partners in making the journey possible.

The four presenting partners for the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays are Coca-Cola, JPMorganChase, Allstate and Xfinity. Their involvement will include elements such as torchbearer selection and stops along the route.

But the relay’s biggest significance may come from the people who carry it.
In 1996, five-time Olympic medalist Janet Evans carried the flame into Atlanta’s Olympic Stadium before passing it to Muhammad Ali. Ali, whose hand visibly trembled because of Parkinson’s disease, then lit the Olympic cauldron in one of the most memorable moments in Games history.

Evans now serves as LA28’s Chief Athlete Officer and will help shape the athlete and community experience surrounding the Games.

The 2028 relay will also give the public a chance to become part of that tradition. LA28 says the nomination process for torchbearers will be announced in the future.

The Olympic flame’s American journey will eventually end in Los Angeles, where the Opening Ceremony is scheduled for July 14, 2028. The Games will run through July 30, followed by the Paralympic Games from August 15 to 27.

The flame will ultimately arrive at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a venue already deeply connected to Olympic history. The Coliseum hosted the 1932 and 1984 Games and will co-host the 2028 Opening Ceremony with SoFi Stadium.

And LA28 is preparing for more than simply another Olympic spectacle. Los Angeles will become the third city to host the Summer Olympics three times, while the 2028 Games will also mark the city’s first Paralympic Games.
The sporting program will feature 36 sports and 353 medal events, with baseball/softball and lacrosse returning, cricket returning to the Olympic program, and flag football and squash making their Olympic debuts.

Yet before the athletes and medals steal the spotlight or the cauldron burns in Los Angeles, the Games will first travel through America. One flame will begin its journey in Olympia. Atlanta will receive it first. Then, state by state, city by city, the torch will make its way west.

Only when it reaches Los Angeles will the final chapter of that journey begin.