Swimming at SoFi, softball in Oklahoma: LA 2028 Olympics reveal venue changes

The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games announced changes to its venue plan on Friday that are estimated to deliver an estimated $156 million in combined savings and revenue increases.

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

The Olympic Games in Los Angeles will be held from July 14 to 30, 2028.

Plans for the opening and closing ceremonies remain unchanged, with portions to be hosted at both the Colosseum and SoFi Stadium. As a result, the traditional schedule for athletics and swimming will be adjusted. Athletics moves to the first week of the games, while swimming takes place in the second week. LA28 says the governing bodies of both sports have approved and supported the change.

Softball and canoe slalom events are held in Oklahoma City. LA28 says the largest softball venue in Southern California seats fewer than 2,000 people and expects a large turnout, while there is no canoe slalom venue in the region. Relocating these competitions will avoid the construction of temporary venues and help LA28 adapt to the International Olympic Committee’s emphasis on sustainability, which encourages the use of existing venues outside the host city.

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

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

The equestrian and para-equestrian competitions will move from the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area to an existing facility in Temecula, an hour and a half drive from Los Angeles, that is large enough to house all disciplines in one location.

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

LA28 says each location shift will deliver at least $10 million in economic improvement, reducing the cost and complexity of temporary stadium construction, overlays and operations.

The organizing committee submitted the updated site assignments to the City of Los Angeles, which must approve competitions taking place outside city limits based on the site plan submitted during the bid.

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