For the first time in history, the famed Olympic Torch will relay through all 50 U.S. states before landing in its host city of Los Angeles — and the tour will kick off in Atlanta.
The flame will be lit in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, before heading through the United States in 2028. The official tour route will be announced in 2027.
“It’s going to touch all 50 states,” Olympic gold medalist Janet Evans said at the announcement in Atlanta. “It will pass through big cities and small towns, and most importantly, in the hands of everyday people who show up for their communities the same way this city showed up for the Olympics in 1996.”
In 1996, Evans was the second-to-last person to carry the Olympic torch in the opening ceremony for the Summer Olympics in Atlanta; she passed the torch to boxing legend Muhammad Ali. Today, Evans is the Chief Athlete Officer for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
It created an iconic Olympic moment. Muhammad Ali’s wife, Lonnie Ali, said her late husband later called it “one of the biggest, great moments of his life.”
“I will never forget what Atlanta gave him, gave our family,” she continued. “A chance to remind the world that strength isn’t just what you can do with your body. It’s the courage to keep showing up.”
Evans echoed Lonnie Ali’s sentiments. She said that day helped her understand the “meaning of the Olympics” as a way to bring people together.
It’s a popular attitude in Atlanta. Mayor Andre Dickens said the games helped introduce a modern version of the city to billions of people. It also represented a “groundbreaking partnership” between a football star and a civil rights hero for the 100th annual Olympic Games.
“For Atlanta, 1996 was never simply about hosting a special sporting event,” Dickens said. “It was about showing the world who we were becoming – a modern, thriving and welcoming city too busy to hate.”
Atlanta has changed in the years since the game. The population has grown, and major industries have settled into the city. It even hosted eight matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“When the flame returns to the United States, Atlanta will be ready to welcome it from Greece, ready to celebrate the games together as a community, and ready to send it forward towards Los Angeles and the next chapter of America’s Olympic story,” Dickens said.
The Paralympic Torch relay will follow the Olympic Games’ conclusion in August 2028, starting in Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom – the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. The full relay tour will be announced at a later date.
Both torch relays will be powered through corporate partnerships with Coca-Cola, JPMorganChase, Allstate and Xfinity. More information on the torchbearer nominations for the nationwide tour will be announced in the coming months.
“The road to Los Angeles starts in Atlanta,” Evans said.
See more photos from the Olympic Torch announcement event at Atlanta City Hall by Delaney Tarr below.
