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Atlanta to host 2028 Olympic torch relay start Sept. 29, 2026

By Drooid · Sep 29, 2026, 11:18 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Mayor Dickens Announces Relay

Atlanta city officials will host the first U.S. stop of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic torch relay.
Mayor Andre Dickens announced the relay will begin at Atlanta City Hall on Sept. 29, 2026.
The 2028 relay will travel through all 50 states, a first in Olympic history.
Clark Atlanta University marching band performed at the Sept. 29, 2026 relay announcement ceremony.
Former Mayor Maynard Jackson carried the torch on July 19, 1996, when the relay covered over 16,000 miles.

Summary

Wasserman Seeks Funding

LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman says the committee still seeks millions of dollars to fund relay transportation.
The committee has only a rough sketch of the 50-state relay route, with details due in 2027.
Wasserman stresses including small towns to show the Olympic movement’s impact on local communities.
The Paralympic flame will start its own relay after the Games, the third U.S. Paralympic relay.

History

Historical Context

In 1936 the International Olympic Committee approved the first torch relay, a 3,187-kilometre run from Olympia through seven countries to Berlin, organized by Carl Diem and filmed by Leni Riefenstahl to showcase Nazi Germany. The relay has been repeated at every Summer Games, shaping how host nations design nationwide torch routes today.

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Mayor Dickens Announces Relay

Atlanta city officials will host the first U.S. stop of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic torch relay.
Mayor Andre Dickens announced the relay will begin at Atlanta City Hall on Sept. 29, 2026.
The 2028 relay will travel through all 50 states, a first in Olympic history.
Clark Atlanta University marching band performed at the Sept. 29, 2026 relay announcement ceremony.
Former Mayor Maynard Jackson carried the torch on July 19, 1996, when the relay covered over 16,000 miles.

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