'We have to prepare': OKC Mayor shares learning lessons from Paris Olympics

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt shared highlights and learning lessons from his trip to Paris for the 2024 Olympics with News 4.

Holt said he attended as an opportunity to get a feel for water sports Oklahoma City could potentially host for the LA 2028 games; Canoe Slalom events, featuring the new Kayak Cross event. Holt said about 10 Oklahoma City leaders attended in total, the last chance to see what the events looked and felt like before 2028.

Earlier this summer Oklahoma City leaders announced the metro was in the running to host two events in total, including softball; pending approval from city leaders in Los Angeles.

"We had folks from the city including the police department," said Holt. "We had folks from the Chamber of Commerce who were kind of playing the role of host committee. There was about ten of us from Oklahoma City studying, learning and just getting a sense for the feel of it all. All the transportation and logistics and security that goes and presentation that goes into something of this magnitude."

Holt said the experience was validating, as a reminder that Oklahoma City is even in the conversation to potentially host events. Holt's major takeaways centered around the logistics, noting stands that sat over 10,000 people and filled every seat. He said it was easy to get in and out; and that there was quite a lot of walking.

"People will have to know that, you know, going in, when you go to an Olympic event it's an all day affair," said Holt. "It's not like, it's not going to be the same level of convenience, like how people might think they can pop in to the Thunder game ten minutes before tipoff."

Holt described having to walk a mile to get up to a venue, but said transportation was handled very well; and that the enthusiasm was infectious.

Another major takeaway from Holt was the energy surrounding Kayak Cross, which made its Olympic debut in the 2024 games.

"There's a lot of sort of contact and aggression that goes into that," said Holt. "It's a very different style from what we're used to. So I thought it got a lot of the buzz, especially in the American sports media."

Holt touched on infrastructure to support the games in Oklahoma City compared to Paris, noting that the metro has a lot to offer.

"We have a lot more permanent infrastructure than even they do in Paris with our boathouse district," said Holt. "There's lots of hosting and lounges and lounges and space for the athletes and space for the media. In Paris they were largely doing that with temporary facilities. We may still have to supplement what we have with some temporary structures, but we have all those boat houses at the finish line tower and the headquarters building for our canoe slalom facility that we can utilize."

Holt said that while visiting Paris he also had meetings with LA 28, city officials from Los Angeles and the head of the International Olympic Committee.

"It was valuable from that perspective as well," Holt said, declining to speculate on what the reception Los Angeles city leaders have had to the idea of Oklahoma City's involvement.

"These facilities don't exist in Los Angeles," said Holt. "They really don't exist west of the Mississippi [river]. You know, they only exist in Oklahoma City, but there's a lot of moving parts and a lot of analysis that understandably everybody wants to do."

Holt said that all of the different entities doing the same analysis and being pleased would be a win win, but that Oklahoma City leaders are respectful of the process and respectful of the opportunity. News 4 employees pressed Holt on if he still believed the trip was essential, even with the uncertainty surrounding whether Oklahoma City will be chosen.

"We have to prepare," said Holt. "If we are hosting this, this is the biggest event in Oklahoma City history. It's worth a few days of my time you know. I think it was absolutely the right thing to do to make the journey and do the research."