LOS ANGELES (CNS) — The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games organizing committee on Friday proposed the first of a series of updates to venue plans that the committee said would save more than $150 million and move some events outside of Los Angeles.
Under the proposal, gymnastics would be held at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, swimming at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, and basketball at the Intuit Dome, also in Inglewood. Track and field and para-athletics would remain at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the only stadium in history to have hosted track and field events at three Olympic Games.
A rendering of the 2028 Olympic basketball game to be played at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
“The Olympic and Paralympic Games represent the pinnacle of sporting competition and achievement, and we are proud to host the Los Angeles 2028 Games in some of the greatest stadiums and arenas ever made,” LA28 president and chair Casey Wasserman said in a statement.
“LA28’s modern venue plan will provide the world’s best athletes with the ideal Hollywood setting, and by selecting from great existing venues wherever they are, rather than building new permanent or temporary stadiums, we will generate more than $150 million in savings and new revenue, helping to maintain a balanced budget.”
The previous venue plan for LA28 was developed in 2017, when the city of Los Angeles was in the running to host the Olympics. Since then, several state-of-the-art stadiums and arenas have become available, previously designated venues have become unavailable, new sports have been added to the 2028 program, and the International Olympic Committee has instituted new policies encouraging organizers to prioritize the use of existing or temporary venues, even outside the host city.
The LA28 submitted these updated venue allocations to the City of Los Angeles, which must approve any sports that move outside the city limits. The committee said the venue changes were evaluated in consultation with international federations and approved by the International Olympic Committee’s executive board.
A rendering of the LA Memorial Coliseum during the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Further venue changes that do not involve moving events outside the city or designating new sporting venues will be announced at a later date, the committee noted.
The latest venue plans also propose to hold some events in the San Fernando Valley for the first time since the 1932 and 1984 Games. Skateboarding, BMX freestyle and BMX racing events, and archery will be held at Sepulveda Basin Recreation Center for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Diving will return to Exposition Park’s 1932 Pool, the same pool that hosted the swimming events in the 1932 Olympic Games. The City of Long Beach will also host artistic and para-swimming events, as well as other events to be announced at a later date.
The equestrian and para-equestrian events, previously held at Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area, will be moved to the Temecula facility, which LA28 officials say is the only event venue in Southern California large enough to host all the necessary events in one place.
Shooting and parasports events that were scheduled to be held at Sepulveda Dam Recreation will be held elsewhere, at a facility yet to be determined.
Outside of Southern California, the canoe slalom and softball events will be held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Organizers say there are no venues locally or in the Western U.S. that can meet the demand for those events.
The commission says the proposed changes would increase revenue by $10 million and reduce costs by about $156 million.
Plans for the opening and closing ceremonies remain unchanged, with some to be held at both the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Inglewood. World Athletics and World Aquatics, the Olympic governing bodies for track and field and swimming, have approved and support the plan to adjust the traditional Olympic schedule for LA28.
Specifically, athletics events for the 2028 Olympics will be moved to the first week of the Olympics, while swimming events will be held in the second week.
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