Opinion: L.A. could train the next Simone Biles. But only if we invest in creating opportunities

As Los Angeles is preparing to host the 2028 Olympics, it could also be the next success story in how to prepare a new generation of gymnastics superstars.

Think of the scenes from Paris this summer — moments when Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles shared the spotlight in triumph — and consider how they inspired young people across the United States, especially girls of color. But inspiration alone doesn’t make a competitive gymnast. Kids also need opportunities to learn the sport, which have long been scarce for people of color.

It’s not the top of the sport that needs to diversify; the 2024 medal ceremonies showed that victory is won. It’s all the worthy rungs below that need investment to expand their reach. Gymnastics in cities and towns across the United States is not nearly as diverse as it should be, and that limits the pool of talent for the future.

The reasons are as complex as those behind other intertwined issues of race and income in our nation today. Los Angeles is a microcosm that helps to explain why. And between now and the 2028 Games, the city has the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the solution as well.

Gymnastics takes talent and dedication and a commitment to years of training. And it takes money and time. A young gymnast needs a program and a coach, but also parents with time and resources — parents who, for example, can take their child to practice at 4 p.m. on a Wednesday. Every Wednesday. And probably Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, too.

Few cities, which tend to have larger minority populations, have public programs for young gymnasts. Most of the private opportunities are in the more affluent (and white) suburbs.

It’s not just access. Black girls who enter the sport can face unique obstacles, a result of a vicious cycle. Because there are few Black women in the sport, for example, coaches don’t always realize that our hair needs to be braided before it’s shaped into a bun. Or they don’t realize that our bodies can develop differently from those of young white women.

The coaches don’t mean any harm, but this lack of understanding can lead to awkward moments and conversations. All of that can push away talented young gymnasts of color.

And so the ranks of young gymnasts tend to skew white and middle-class. That remains true even as stars such as Biles and, a decade ago, Gabby Douglas, spark interest among girls of color. Studies show that only 10% of young female gymnasts are Black, although about 13% of girls in the U.S. are Black.

The statistics were a lot worse at all levels of the sport when I was the first Black rhythmic gymnast to represent the United States on the global stage, competing in three world championships and the 1984 Olympic trials.

I didn’t make the 1984 Olympic team, even though I ranked high enough in the world championships. One coach told me it was because I “stood out too much.” At the ’84 Games, only Cuba had a Black woman gymnast.

Now the top echelons of this amazing and beautiful sport are diverse beyond my wildest dreams. Only a concerted effort can maintain and build on American Olympic diversity and excellence. That’s where the organizers of the Los Angeles Games come in.

My training took place in the recreation centers in Detroit, with coaches from Ukraine. As a result, our gymnastics team flourished and produced multiple national champions, an Olympian and USA Gymnastics Hall of Famers.

But few cities provided gymnastics training as Detroit did back then. And fewer do today.

One theme of the run-up to the 2028 Games is youth sports, and LA28, the organizing committee staging the next Summer Games, is pouring millions of dollars into a program called PlayLA at Recreation Department sites in the city. But those do not include gymnastics facilities.

My challenge to LA28 is to ensure the future excellence and diversity of U.S. gymnastics by building a legacy arena in one of Los Angeles’ neighborhoods of color. A dedicated gymnastics center would be an investment, but one that would have a significant and long-lasting effect on the community. It should be equipped with all the resources to serve a higher purpose after the television coverage and celebrations have moved on: to train the next Biles, the next Chiles.

I know they are out there. All they need is a shot.

Wendy Hilliard has twice served as captain of the USA Gymnastics Rhythmic National Team and founded the Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation, which provides gymnastics training to underserved communities.