Los Angeles 2028 has announced that it is giving a grant of $9.6 million to help fund youth sports across the city ©LA2028

Los Angeles 2028 has announced plans to invest $9.6 million (£6.9 million/€8.1 million) to help fund youth sports across the Californian city to get youngsters back to sport and fitness after the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is part of the $160 million (£115 million/€135 million) commitment by Los Angeles 2028 to make sports more accessible to kids across Los Angeles ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in seven years, the single largest commitment for youth sport development ever in the state.

"There’s never been a more important time to get kids back to sports," said Los Angeles 2028 chief athlete officer and five-time Olympic medallist Janet Evans.

"After an incredibly trying 15 months, it’s time to get out there and play.

"Fitness and competition give kids opportunities to connect with friends and improve their physical and mental health.

"We couldn’t be more excited to get kids back on the field and in the gym experiencing the joy of sport."

The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks will use the grant from LA2028 to help subsidise the cost of sport for youngsters ©Getty Images
The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks will use the grant from LA2028 to help subsidise the cost of sport for youngsters ©Getty Images

The money has been granted to City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks to subsidise participation fees for leagues, classes and clinics ranging from tennis and golf to basketball and soccer to judo and teqball for children aged 18 and under. 

The grant is dedicated to supporting quality sport programming in well-maintained, safe environments with trained coaches at more than 123 recreation centres and sport facilities across Los Angeles through the spring 2022 season, emphasising support in areas that serve low-income neighbourhoods.

"One of the key objectives of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games is to use the power of sport to boost the wellbeing, health and education of young people, regardless of their economic background, gender or ability," Los Angeles 2028 International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission chair Nicole Hoevertsz, who competed in synchronized swimming for Aruba at Los Angeles 1984, said.

"This ambition is particularly important today, as we begin to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"When Los Angeles was chosen to host the Games, the International Olympic Committee and LA28 agreed that up to $160 million would be invested in local youth sports leading up to the Games, and today’s announcement is a major step toward achieving this goal. 

"We are excited to help create the right conditions for kids across Los Angeles to participate in and grow through sport."