[Source: www.olympics.com] Updates to the Olympic and Paralympic Games LA28 venue masterplan have been revealed, with the Organising Committee prioritising the use of world-class arenas and stadiums to deliver an unparalleled experience for athletes and fans alike. Additional benefits relating to sustainability, legacy and economics are anticipated, with the city preparing to host the Games in only four years’ time.

Overview of LA28’s venue masterplan, including the latest updates:

• Gymnastics will be held at the recently renovated Downtown LA Arena that is home to the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s Lakers, National Hockey League’s Kings, and Women’s NBA’s Sparks.

• Basketball will be held at the nation’s newest and state-of-the-art Indoor Arena in Inglewood, that will be home to the NBA’s Clippers.

• The nation’s newest and most advanced large pro sports stadium, located in Inglewood, which is home to the National Football League’s Rams and Chargers, will become the largest swimming venue in Olympic history, with a planned 38,000 seats.

• Athletics and Para Athletics will remain at the iconic and recently refurbished LA Memorial Coliseum, making this the only stadium in history to host track and field competitions at three Olympic Games.

* To accommodate these moves, both World Athletics and World Aquatics, the governing bodies of athletics and aquatics Olympic events respectively, have approved and support LA28’s plan to adjust the traditional Olympic schedule. Specifically, the athletics competition will move to the first week of the Olympic Games LA28, while the swimming competition will be held during the second week.

• LA28’s plans for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies are unchanged, with parts hosted at both the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Inglewood Stadium.

• The San Fernando Valley will be a hub for youthful, high energy Olympic competitions in BMX Freestyle and BMX Racing, along with Skateboarding Park and Street, all in the Sepulveda Basin area.

• Also in the Sepulveda Basin area will be Archery, for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

• Diving will return to the same pool that hosted the aquatics events at the 1932 Olympic Games, the 1932 Pool in Exposition Park, which will remain a legacy venue for Angelenos as part of the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks.

• The City of Long Beach will host Artistic Swimming and Para Swimming competitions, in addition to several other sports that will be announced at a later date.

• Equestrian and Para Equestrian competitions, previously assigned to the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area, will be held at an existing facility in Temecula - the only such facility in Southern California large enough to accommodate all the required disciplines in one location.

• Shooting and Shooting Para Sport competitions, which were also previously assigned to the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area, will be assigned to one of two possible sport shooting clubs, to be determined, in the Southern California region.

Oklahoma

While Southern California has more professional and collegiate sports venues than any area in the United States, there is no canoe slalom venue that exists locally (or anywhere in the Western US), and the largest softball venue in Southern California seats fewer than 2,000 people, which does not meet the expected spectator demand for softball at the Olympic Games.

Instead of building temporary venues for these sports, and in alignment with the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendation that encourages the use of existing stadiums outside the region of the Host City, LA28 will assign canoe slalom and softball competitions to existing, world-class venues in Oklahoma City.

Both the existing canoe slalom and softball stadiums in Oklahoma City are built to international competition standards, and the local community has consistently supported top tournaments for both sports, ensuring a high-quality experience for both athletes and fans, while allowing LA28 to achieve cost savings and revenue gains to support its balanced budget.

Benefits

Speaking about these changes, LA28 Chairperson Casey Wasserman, said: “The Olympic and Paralympic Games represent the pinnacle of athletic competition and achievement, and we’re proud to host the Los Angeles 2028 Games in some of the greatest stadiums and arenas ever built.

"LA28’s updated venue plan will provide the ideal Hollywood stage for the world’s top athletes, and choosing from spectacular, existing venues, wherever they are, rather than building new permanent or temporary stadiums, achieves more than USD 150 million in savings and new revenue to help maintain a balanced budget. We look forward to partnering with these venues, and their experienced operators and workforce, to deliver an unparalleled experience for athletes and fans in 2028."

By making use of the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020, one of the primary goals of the updated venue plan is to leverage existing infrastructure, which significantly reduces the need for temporary constructions and enhances long-term legacy opportunities for local communities. Many of these venues will continue to serve the community long after the Games, providing opportunities for future sports events and activities.

All proposed venue changes have been assessed in consultation with the respective International Federations and have already been approved by the IOC Executive Board, conditional on LA City Council approval. LA28 submitted these updated venue proposals to the City of Los Angeles on 21 June, which must approve changes that move competitions outside the city’s boundaries compared with the venue plan submitted during the bid.

Additional changes to the Olympic and Paralympic Games LA28 venue masterplan that do not move events outside the city’s boundaries, venues for new sports and disciplines added to the Olympic and Paralympic sports programme since 2017, and the updated Paralympic venue plan will all be announced at a later date.

The Olympic Games LA28 are due to take place between 14 and 30 July 2028, followed by the Paralympic Games, which will be held from 15 until 27 August