The Impact of Engineering at the Olympics ??

To the ACEC Community,

Sunday marked the end of the Olympic Games in Paris. The Olympics were a triumph for Team USA, which took home 126 medals. (Two of those medals were courtesy of Penn State engineering grad and “Pommel Horse Guy” Stephen Nedoroscik, who became something of a social media sensation during the games.)

While Pommel Horse Guy was one of nine engineers representing the U.S. at the games, the influence and ingenuity of our industry was on display throughout the Olympics. Like so much else, the Olympics would not have been possible without engineers. From technology and equipment to transportation and logistics – and to the infrastructure that propelled it all – engineering was integral to the planning, execution, and operation of the Games.

And now that Tom Cruise has secured the Olympic flag and brought it to Los Angeles for the 2028 Games, the American engineering industry is set to take the world stage. LA Mayor Karen Bass has announced that the Olympics will be a car-free, transit-first event. To that end, Los Angeles has initiated an effort called 28-by-28, a plan to complete 28 transportation infrastructure projects before the July 2028 start of the Olympics. While many of these infrastructure projects were already in progress before LA was awarded the Games, their completion will now be accelerated. Once again, engineers lead the way.

There really is something special about the Olympics, wherever they are. Even beyond the absolutely jaw-dropping feats of athleticism (Simone Biles, anyone?!), I think it’s the feeling of the world coming together and that even amid the competition, there is still that sense of camaraderie. The Games were a wonderful, welcomed break from our intensely polarized politics here at home. They are a reminder that it’s still possible to be adversaries without being enemies.

For more than a century, the Olympic motto was, “Faster, Higher, Stronger,” until the IOC approved a change in 2021 to signify the unifying power of sports. The new motto: “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together.” A small change, but one with enormous weight. As we head into the thick of what is certain to be a very nasty campaign season, one hopes that both ends of the political spectrum heed the lesson of the Olympics. Our industry knows better than most that there is strength in being united; the very work we do serves as proof that nothing can be sustained on a weak foundation. Who better than engineers to remind our leaders that a house divided against itself cannot stand?

PS: Speaking of coming together, there is still time to take advantage of early bird pricing for our Fall Conference in New Orleans, scheduled for October 20-23. We’ve secured some fantastic speakers who you won’t want to miss. Register today!