When Los Angeles hosts the Games for the third time in 2028, Olympic athletes in softball and canoe slalom will be 1,300 miles away from Southern California.
The partnership between West Coast and Midwest cities, announced last week in organizers’ latest venue plans, is a move aimed at using existing sports facilities and keeping costs down.
The updated plan, released by LA28 on Friday, would move the softball and canoe slalom events from the host city to the Oklahoma state capital, 1,300 miles east. The proposal has been approved by the International Olympic Committee and is pending approval by the city of Los Angeles.
No new permanent venues are planned for Los Angeles, the 2017 host city. The city previously hosted the Summer Olympics in 1984 and 1932.
Under the updated venue plans, gymnastics will be held at Crypto.com Arena in Downtown Los Angeles, swimming at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and basketball at the under-construction Intuit Dome. Track and field will continue to be held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which also hosted the events in 1932 and 1984. Events are also planned at the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area in the San Fernando Valley, a pool on the USC campus and a venue in Long Beach.
Holding the softball and canoe slalom events would require temporary venues and additional construction, which LA28 says it will avoid.
So, Oklahoma City appears as the setting for part of this Hollywood tale.
“Oklahoma City has hosted many international competitions at our unique, world-class Whitewater and Softball Arenas,” said Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. “We believe we can be an excellent partner for LA28 in creating a dynamic environment for Olympic athletes and fans. We are excited about the opportunity to support Los Angeles, one of America’s great international cities, and look forward to working closely with the LA28 Organizing Committee to ensure a successful 2028 Olympic Games.”
Here’s what you need to know about what happened in Oklahoma City.
LA28 A rendering of the SoFi Stadium venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. LA28 A rendering of the Oklahoma City Softball venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. LA28 A rendering of the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. LA28 A rendering of the Intuit Dome venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. LA28 A rendering of the USC Campus Pool venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. LA28 A rendering of the LA Memorial Coliseum venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. LA28 A rendering of the Intuit Dome venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. LA28 A rendering of the Crypto.com Arena venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. LA28 A rendering of the Canoeing venue for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
About the 2028 Olympic Softball Venues
LA28 said in a statement Friday that the decision to move softball to the 11,000-seat Devon Park, which annually hosts the Women’s College World Series, was driven entirely by logistical reasons.
There are no softball fields in the Los Angeles area that can accommodate more than 2,000 spectators.
The sport has deep roots in Oklahoma City, giving Team USA a hometown advantage: Devon Park is located on the grounds of USA Softball Headquarters and the USA Softball Hall of Fame.
The facility has undergone improvements over the years. Between 2013 and 2015, dugouts, underground locker rooms, and training rooms were added. Renovations to the exterior entrance and press box areas began in 2018, around which time a three-story press box and new interview rooms were added. Approximately 4,000 permanent seats were added after the 2019 World Series.
Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympics in a variety of existing locations in the city and surrounding areas. Due to limited venue space and the goal of not building temporary venues specifically for the Olympics, some events will be held in Oklahoma City.
These improvements, and smaller ones since, helped Oklahoma City establish itself as an Olympic host city.
“It’s so expensive these days,” USA Softball Executive Director Craig Kress said at the World Series earlier this month. “We’ve been fortunate that the city has been really generous.”
The stadium hosted the U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup in 2015 and will host the World Baseball Softball Confederation Men’s Softball World Cup Group C later this year.
The United States will become the only country to host softball at the Olympic Games twice in 2028. The sport debuted at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
“We are thrilled to have Oklahoma Softball Park selected as the venue for LA28 – it is the perfect setting for the best softball players in the world to realize their Olympic dreams,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. “The state-of-the-art stadium, one of the best softball stadiums in the world, gives us and LA28 the opportunity to spread the passion for Olympic softball throughout the United States and around the world. It also aligns with the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020+5 recommendation to use existing facilities for Olympic Games and emphasizes sustainability by encouraging the use of existing stadiums beyond the host city’s region.”
The Paris 2024 Games have opted to build only two new venues to reduce their carbon footprint. Los Angeles will not build any new venues for the 2028 Summer Olympics. National climate reporter Chase Cain visits the Paris Olympic venues.
About the 2028 Olympic Canoe Slalom Venue
Another venue slated for use in 2028 is RiverSports OKC in Oklahoma City, which hosted the canoe slalom at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. There are no canoe slalom venues in Southern California or the Western U.S., according to LA28’s announcement.
The site is located along the Oklahoma River in the Boathouse District of downtown.
Four-time Olympian Casey Eichfeld participated in the April qualifying round and has fond memories of the tournament, despite a storm in the area on the second day.
“The crowds were amazing,” he said, “and despite the weather, we had a lot of people who came out to the races and cheered and watched. They braved the elements and persevered. The weather may not have been ideal for outdoor sports, but the environment was just fantastic.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.