“On Aug. 12, 1984, Peter Ueberroth stood in the Los Angeles Coliseum during the Olympic closing ceremonies, tears escaping his usually tight control as the 93,000-member audience stood and cheered. Other honors would follow, including recognition from Time as the magazine’s Man of the Year, over President Ronald Reagan. Neither an athlete nor a statesman nor a celebrity, Ueberroth was a middle aged entrepreneur from Southern California, a self-made man who had, in large part, made the Games of the 23 Olympiad happen – and not only happen, but succeed on a spectacular level. In doing so, he changed many of the financial rules by which the Olympics had been played.”

Claudia La Rocco

In an excerpt of “Rings of Power, Peter Ueberroth and the 1982 Los Angeles Olympic Games,” published in the Museum of American Finance magazine, Spring 2004.

Peter Ueberroth was the President of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the 1984 Summer Games. He was also named Time magazine’s Man of the Year in 1984 for his leadership in making the Games the first privately funded and profitable Olympics. He later served as the Chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee.  Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced on Nov. 18 that it is 1,000 days until the opening ceremonies of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, led by Casey Wasserman.