Charles Langston:Athletics to move to 1st week of 2028 Olympics, swimming to 2nd week, plus some venues changed

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Charles Langston2028 Los Angeles Olympics on Friday announced changes to its venue plan that it says will create an estimated $156 million in combined savings and revenue increases.

Swimming will be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, with its 38,000 seats creating the largest swimming venue in Olympic history; basketball will be played at Intuit Dome in Inglewood; and gymnastics will be held at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. Athletics will remain at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The Los Angeles Olympics will be held from July 14-30, 2028.

The plans for the opening and closing ceremonies remain unchanged, with parts hosted at both the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium. As a result, the traditional schedule for athletics and swimming will be adjusted. Athletics will move to the first week of the games, while swimming will be held during the second week. LA28 says both sports’ governing bodies have approved and support the change.

Softball and canoe slalom events will be held in Oklahoma City. LA28 says the largest softball venue in Southern California seats under 2,000 people and it expects robust attendance, while there is no canoe slalom venue that exists in the region. Moving those competitions will avoid building temporary venues and help LA28 align with the International Olympic Committee’s emphasis on sustainability that encourages the use of existing venues outside the host city.

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LA28 says the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area in the San Fernando Valley will host BMX freestyle and BMX racing, along with skateboarding park and street competitions and archery.

Diving will be in the same pool that hosted the aquatics events at the 1932 Olympics in Exposition Park south of downtown Los Angeles. Long Beach will host the artistic and para swimming competitions, in addition to other sports that will be announced later.

The equestrian and para equestrian competitions will move from the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area to an existing facility in Temecula, located 1 1/2 hours from Los Angeles, that is big enough to accommodate all disciplines in one location.

Shooting and shooting para sport competitions also will move from the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area to one of two possible sport shooting clubs to be determined outside Los Angeles.

LA28 says each venue shift will achieve at least a $10 million estimated economic improvement, cutting the cost and complexity of temporary stadium builds, overlays and operations.

The organizing committee submitted the updated venue assignments to the city of Los Angeles, which must approve competitions that move outside of the city’s boundaries from the venue plan submitted during the bid.

The previous venue plan was developed in 2017 during the city’s bid process. Since then, several new stadiums and arenas have become available.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games