The Olympics Are Coming Back and Oklahoma Is Part of It

The Olympics are headed back to the USA. Oklahoma is getting in on the action.

What Events Oklahoma City Will Host

When the torch is lit in Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Olympics, OKC will host two of those Olympic events. Canoe slalom and softball... which is fitting given that OU pretty much owns the world of collegiate softball.

For some of us, this isn’t our first Olympic ripple.

When the Olympics Last Felt This Close

The last time the Olympic Summer Games were held here, Atlanta had the privilege. It was 1996, and you'd be surprised how exciting it was if you weren't around for it.

They literally ran a lit torch across America, and many of us stopped for an afternoon just catch a glimpse. I was lucky because the route went right by my house. We lived in a tiny refinery town in Northcentral Oklahoma, and the route went through town at the end of our culdesac. It couldn't have been a moment that lasted longer than fifteen seconds, but my sisters and I remember it vividly.

That torch run back then made the Olympics feel real in a way television never could. It wasn’t abstract anymore. It was right there on the roadside, passing through towns that rarely make national headlines.

That same energy is back, just in a different form.

Why This Olympic Moment Matters for Oklahoma

Athletes are training in our facilities. Events happening on our soil. Oklahoma is showing up in Olympic schedules, not as an afterthought, but the only non-LA host.

Years from now, someone’s going to casually mention they watched an Olympic event right here. Or helped with it. Or just happened to be nearby when the world showed up.

That’s how these moments work. You don’t realize how rare they are until they’ve already passed. And for Oklahoma, this one feels special.