The Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC) closed Day One of the LA28 Pre-Games Preparation Forum at the Hilton Auckland yesterday. Delegates left the room with the foundation of a draft LA28 NOC Games Strategy, built around a single, shared idea: the athlete experience at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 begins long before the Opening Ceremony.

ONOC Secretary General Ricardo Blas has described the Forum as one anchored squarely in athlete welfare and athlete experience.

‍

"Everything happening in this room, every strategy, every budget line, every conversation between our NOCs, comes back to one question: will our athletes feel supported, safe and ready to perform when they step onto the field of play in Los Angeles? Athlete welfare and the athlete experience are not one session on our programme. They are the reason the programme exists. That is the standard Oceania is setting on the Road to LA28." Ricardo Blas, Secretary General, Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC)

‍

The two-day Forum is hosted by ONOC in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Olympic Solidarity, the LA28 Organising Committee and ANOC. It has brought together Chefs de Mission (CdMs), NOC Presidents, Secretaries General and Games preparation staff from across the region.

Day One's morning programme grounded delegates in the operational reality of an LA28 Games. IOC and LA28 presenters walked the room through the venue plans and games schedule. The session also covered cultural orientation and the Athlete and NOC journey.

The afternoon shifted into the NOC Strategy and Planning Session, led by ONOC OSEP Facilitators Talemo Waqa and Nynette Sass. Delegates moved from learning into planning, working through setting NOC objectives, building the team, operational and contingency planning, and how to measure success. There were also presentations from the IOC, LA28 and Olympic Solidarity.

A central focus of the afternoon was the LA28 NOC Support Programmes, presented by the IOC and ANOC. These include the IOC and ANOC programme tools that help ensure every athlete walks into the Olympic Village dressed, documented and represented to a consistent standard across all delegations.

The final substantive session of Day One placed Oceania's shared advantage front and centre through the Synergies between NOCs discussion. Delegates worked through pre-Games and Games-time engagement opportunities, with case studies on Pre-Games Training Camps (PGTC), common allotment, and the sharing of Games intelligence between NOCs. The session reflected a regional approach: what one Oceania NOC learns, another can apply.

Day Two turns from plans to people. The focus shifts to delegation preparation, integrity and the operational backbone that will carry every Oceania athlete to the start line in Los Angeles. The Forum closes this afternoon with reflections from Olympic Solidarity and ONOC.