In the summer of 1984, I was one of the 2.5 billion people worldwide watching the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Rafer Johnson lit the Olympic Cauldron in the Coliseum. Evelyn Ashford won the 100-meter in 10.97 seconds and set a new Olympic record. Peter Vidmar, Mitch Gaylord and Tim Daggett stunned the world when US men’s gymnastics won gold for the first time in history.

Back then, I didn’t know that these athletes were celebrating, and resting between events, in the Olympic Village at the university I would one day lead as chancellor.

In 2028, when the Games return to Los Angeles, athletes will once again stay on our campus at UCLA. 

And my perspective today is totally different: At a university where some of nation’s top athletes prepare for the world’s premier competition, I see what goes into making an Olympian. 

For the athletes — and all of us — it’s an incredible journey.

We attract and open our doors to the best of every sport, from the most remote fields of rural America to the rec centers of our biggest cities — all driven by dreams of greatness. We give them the coaching, facilities and sports science — from physical therapy to athletic nutrition to performance psychology and more — that they need to win at the highest levels of competition. We create an environment that fuels their passion and potential. We promote preparedness for life outside sports and provide an education that will open doors far beyond the locker room.

And when they’ve worked their way to the top of the podium, we display their names in our halls of fame. 

It’s a distinctly American tradition: In other countries, athletes are funded and fostered by the government. But here, we rely on our universities to turn competitors into champions.

And the model works: Team USA dominated the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, bringing home 126 total medals, the most of any country. Three-quarters of those athletes had competed collegiately. And 17 Bruins, including coaches and staff, added 14 new medals to UCLA’s all-time count.

We do it this way because we know this to be true: When talented people are given the chance to thrive, we all benefit — and we make our nation proud.

Athletics are about more than what happens on the field. At their best, college sports teach excellence, discipline, fair play and teamwork. They create communities. 

That’s why so many of our universities’ elite competitors go on to do great things outside of sports. About 68% of America’s top CEOs were once college athletes. They win Oscars and elections. They become leaders in finance, healthcare, engineering and law, keeping our society strong and our country at the cutting edge of global competition. 

But this model is under growing strain; the economics of college athletics are changing rapidly, as escalating costs and new financial obligations place increasing pressure on universities. 

The greatest risk may fall on the ecosystem of women’s and Olympic sports, which are supported by other, revenue-generating disciplines. 

Ongoing national debate is highlighting the danger that escalating financial competition in football and basketball could divert resources from those sports and narrow opportunities for future generations of student-athletes. 

The financial challenges facing universities threaten the very system that fosters Olympic pride.

Whatever solutions ultimately emerge, we must preserve what is most valuable about the American model: universities as places where athletic excellence and educational opportunity reinforce one another and where sport develops not only great competitors, but resilient, disciplined and connected human beings.

Every four years, the Olympic Games give us all the chance to revel in human achievement and excellence. I saw that 42 years ago when I watched Johnson, Ashford, Vidmar, Gaylord and Daggett don their American flags. 

And as I look back on that moment, I feel even more inspired by all that they accomplished, knowing that they were not only world-class athletes, but UCLA students and alumni as well. 

I understand far more now about the journey student-athletes take in pursuit of world-class greatness.

In 2028, when the eyes of the world are once again on the Olympic Games, I hope we all remember this: Every time an athlete wins a medal, we should also cheer on the university that supported them.

Julio Frenk is chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles — host of the Olympic Village for the 1984 and 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games — and a distinguished professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. 

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