Sep 17, 2025, 11:18 AM ETFireside Chat, Interview, Conference Presentation

Inside the Olympics: Resilience and the Road to LA 2028

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a multinational, non-profit organization of 110 members that combines elite sport management with broader social purposes, distinct from commercial leagues like the NFL.
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) serves as the single National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States, operating as one unified entity where Olympic and Paralympic athletes are treated identically.
Unlike professional sports organizations, the Olympic and Paralympic movements operate as social enterprises that rely on commercial revenue to fund athlete development and distribute funds to national committees globally.
The IOC membership includes a diverse mix of sports professionals and public figures, including Oscar-winning actors and royalty, reflecting its non-business-centric governance style.

Chuck Aoki (Wheelchair Rugby):
- Diagnosed with a rare condition at age six that impaired his ability to feel pain or temperature, resulting in a broken femur that went unnoticed due to lack of sensation.
- Required a wheelchair full-time starting at age 10, shifting his athletic focus from baseball to wheelchair basketball and eventually to wheelchair rugby after watching a 2004 documentary.
- Has competed in four Paralympic Games (2012–2024), winning bronze in London and three consecutive silver medals in 2016, 2020, and 2024.
- Is one of only two USA wheelchair rugby athletes to win medals at four different World Championships and is currently the most decorated U.S. wheelchair rugby athlete.
- Views his physical challenges as non-replaceable, stating he has accomplished more in a wheelchair than he would have as an able-bodied athlete.
Megan Dugan (Women's Ice Hockey):
- Inspired to become an Olympian at age 10 after watching the U.S. women's team win the first-ever gold medal in women's ice hockey at the 1998 Nagano Games.
- Represented the U.S. in three Olympic Games, winning silver in 2010 and 2014, and gold in 2018.
- Captained the 2018 gold-medal winning team, which ended a 20-year drought for U.S. women's hockey golds after previous losses to Canada.
- Currently serves as the Director of Player Development for the New Jersey Devils and was named captain of the 2018 team.

The 2018 U.S. women's ice hockey team implemented a four-year mental preparation program focusing on visualization and scenario planning to address previous losses to Canadian player Jayna Hefford.
During the 2018 gold medal game, when Canada scored to take a 2-1 lead, the team's visualization training allowed them to maintain composure rather than react with defeatism, leading to an overtime win.
Athletes emphasize that passion and community support are primary drivers for enduring grueling training schedules, high-impact collisions, and physical pain without the financial security of professional leagues.
Chuck Aoki notes that despite losing three consecutive Paralympic gold finals to Canada, the team remains motivated by the opportunity to win on "home court" at the upcoming Los Angeles Games.

Chuck Aoki aims to grow awareness of adaptive sports, hoping to inspire more individuals with disabilities to find community and athletic pathways regardless of their specific limitations.
Aoki cites the story of Ken Walsh, a Navy veteran who discovered wheelchair rugby in his 50s and became a starter, as proof that adaptive sports offer lifelong community and purpose.
Megan Dugan emphasizes the "cycle of inspiration," noting that current 17-18 year old athletes are inspired by her 2018 gold medal, just as she was inspired by the 1998 team.
Both athletes utilize social media and humor to educate the public, challenge misconceptions about disability, and demonstrate that the primary disability is often a lack of opportunity rather than physical impairment.

The Los Angeles 2028 Games are projected to be the largest in history, featuring 350 medal events, 11,400 athletes, 36 sports, and 50 disciplines.
USOPC Chair Gene Sykes hired retired three-star General Reynolds Hoover as CEO of LA 2028 to apply military-grade operational planning to the logistics of selling 13 million Olympic and 3 million Paralympic tickets in a five-week window.
The planning strategy focuses on minimizing stress on the City of Los Angeles by leveraging existing world-class sports infrastructure and coordinating with federal agencies like FEMA and DHS.
Gene Sykes leverages his private sector background to facilitate communication among diverse international stakeholders, using negotiation techniques to find overlapping interests among nations with different beliefs and political systems.
The strategic goal for LA 2028 is to deliver a welcoming, high-quality experience that enhances the U.S. reputation globally and reinforces the Olympic movement's capacity to unite diverse populations.