LA28 updates venue plan for the Paralympic and Olympic Games

LA28 has updated the venue plan to deliver improved athlete and fan experiences, more sustainable solutions and legacy opportunity in LA, resulting in over USD 150 million in cost savings and new revenue 24 Jun 2024

By LA28

The Organising Committee of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games has proposed the first series of updates to its venue plan that will stage some of the most popular sports in world-class arenas and stadiums, creating the ideal experience for athletes and fans, and achieving more than USD 150 million in combined new revenue and cost savings.

Southern California’s abundance of high-quality athletic venues is the strongest possible foundation for hosting a spectacular and fiscally responsible Games. With these changes, LA28 assigns more sports to existing stadiums and uses fewer temporary venues, which provides significant financial and operational benefits.

🚨LA28 News🚨

Excited to share our first series of announcements for the updated 2028 venue plan. Pending approvals from @LACity, IOC, and IPC, LA28 plans to provide an updated Games Plan which we believe will reflect the bounty of existing world-class venues in LA, offering the… pic.twitter.com/xwdKuK7xKE
— LA28 (@LA28) June 21, 2024

Each venue shift announced last week will achieve at least a USD 10 million estimated economic improvement, reducing the cost and complexity of temporary stadium builds, overlays and operations, and will accumulate an estimated USD 156 million in combined savings and revenue increases to support LA28’s balanced budget.

Additionally, LA28’s venue moves and reliance on existing stadiums makes the Games more sustainable; enhances the field of play and warm up areas for athletes; improves seating, hospitality, services and capacity for more fans; places competitions in the hands of experienced venue operators and staff to ensure smooth delivery and operations; and provides legacy opportunities in the City of Los Angeles.

LA28’s previous venue plan was developed in 2017 when the City of Los Angeles was bidding for the Games. Since then, several new state-of-the-art stadiums and arenas have become available, a previously assigned venue has become unavailable, new sports have been added to the 2028 program, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) developed new policy to encourage Games organizers to prioritize using existing or temporary venues, even if they are located outside of the Host City.

“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,” said LA28 Chairperson and President Casey Wasserman.

“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.”

Para Athletics will remain at the iconic and recently refurbished LA Memorial Coliseum, making it the only stadium in history to host Track and Field competitions in three Olympic Games. The City of Long Beach will host Para Swimming competitions.

Equestrian and Para Equestrian competitions, previously assigned to the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area, will be held at an exceptional existing facility in Temecula, CA, that is the only such facility in Southern California large enough to accommodate all 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, both of which can leverage on existing shotgun facilities and are located in Southern California, outside the City of Los Angeles.

LA28 submitted these 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.

All proposed venue changes have been assessed in consultation with each respective International Federation. The IOC Executive Board has approved these venue assignments for Olympic sports, pending approval from the City of Los Angeles. Changes to venues for Paralympic sports will require approval from the IPC Governing Board in the future.

Additional changes to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic venue plan that do not move events outside the City of Los Angeles’ boundaries, or that assign venues for new sports added to the Olympic and Paralympic sport programs since 2017, along with the updated Paralympic venue plan will all be announced later.

Moving out of the City of Los Angeles – requires City approval

Olympic Swimming to Inglewood

Paralympic Swimming to Long Beach

Olympic Artistic Swimming to Long Beach

Olympic Basketball to Inglewood

Olympic Canoe Slalom to the City of Oklahoma City

Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian to Temecula

Olympic and Paralympic Shooting to existing venue outside of Los Angeles

Moving into the City of Los Angeles – does not require City approval

Olympic Diving to existing venue in Los Angeles

Olympic and Paralympic Archery to the Sepulveda Basin

Olympic BMX Freestyle to the Sepulveda Basin