How to Become an LA28 Torchbearer, Before Nominations Even Open

LA28 says the public can be nominated to carry the flame, but the process isn't out yet and the 50-state route comes in 2027.

If you're hoping to carry the Olympic flame on its way to Los Angeles, there's nothing to apply for yet. LA28 says members of the public will get a shot through nominations, but it hasn't said how those will work.

The relay itself is on. LA28 marked its start Sept. 29 in Atlanta, which hosted the 1996 Games, and the flame is due to cross all 50 states during spring 2028, the Santa Monica Daily Press reported. LA28's torch relay page says no Olympic flame has reached every state before.

The Atlanta start closes a loop with L.A. In 1996, "the flame traveled from Greece to Los Angeles, where Atlanta's Olympic torch relay began its journey across America," Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said at the kickoff, Rough Draft Atlanta reported. This time the trip runs the other way, and L.A. is the finish line.

Who carries it? LA28's relay primer says torchbearers are chosen to stand for the places the flame passes through, and they can be celebrities, athletes or people who live there. Janet Evans, the four-time gold medalist who's now LA28's chief athlete officer, was one in Atlanta in 1996, Rough Draft Atlanta reported.

Not every spot will come from public nominations. The relay's four top sponsors, Coca-Cola, JPMorganChase, Allstate and Xfinity, will pick some torchbearers themselves and host stops at their own locations, the Daily Press reported.

The detail that's easy to miss: there are two relays. The Olympic flame gets lit in Olympia, Greece, and its relay ends at the Opening Ceremony. After the Olympics close in August 2028, a separate Paralympic relay carries a flame lit in Stoke Mandeville, England, on its own route to L.A. LA28 hasn't named where that one starts in the U.S.

Here's what you can do now, going by LA28's torch relay page as of Friday:

1. Don't hunt for an application. LA28's FAQ says nomination details will be announced later. The Daily Press reported they're expected in the coming months.
2. Sign up for the LA28 newsletter on the torch relay page. Know what you're agreeing to: the sign-up box says clicking it means agreeing to emails and partner pitches from LA28 and the wider Olympic family, the International Olympic Committee included.
3. Follow @LA28TorchRelays on Instagram. LA28 names it as the place for relay news in real time.
4. Watch for the route in 2027. That's when you'll learn whether the flame comes anywhere near you. If you work for a city or town that wants a stop, LA28 says it's planning the path with cities and towns now and will share ways for communities to join in once the route is public.

Source: smdp.com, retrieved October 9, 2026. Other sources: la28.org, roughdraftatlanta.com, la28.org (2).