Inside the US Olympic pipeline: How universities create world-class athletes

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.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story 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 in...