(KTLA) – With the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games in full swing, it’s never too early for Americans to start planning for 2028, when the Games will be on home turf.
We’re still four years to the date away from the 2028 Summer Olympics, but organized have already announced that they will rely on currently constructed venues to host some of the biggest events. Almost all of the events will be in and around Los Angeles, but there are some exceptions.
Without working on any major construction efforts, the committee announced some surprising venues. The swimming events, for example, will take place in SoFi Stadium – much better known for hosting NFL athletes than swimmers.
The Inglewood home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers will be modified to hold 38,000 spectators for the swimming events, down from the usual 70,000 for football and up to 100,000 for concerts.
Even with the modifications, it will be the largest swimming venue in Olympic history.
Another major surprise involved a second host city for the L.A. Games. Citing a lack of adequate venues in Southern California, the softball and canoe slalom events will take place more than 1,000 miles away in Oklahoma City.
Those two sporting events will use pre-existing facilities in Oklahoma. The largest softball venue in L.A. can hold just 2,000 people, and there isn’t an Olympic-level canoe slalom venue in the western U.S., according to LA28.
Plans for the opening and closing ceremonies remain unchanged, with parts of both taking place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium.
The Coliseum will also host track and field events. Crypto.Com Arena – where the L.A. Lakers, Sparks and Kings typically play – will host gymnastics.
The brand-new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, the home of the L.A. Clippers, will host the basketball tournaments.
More host locations were announced, including:
- Olympic Artistic Swimming in Long Beach
- Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian in Temecula
- Olympic Diving in Exposition Park (Los Angeles)
- Olympic Archery in Sepulveda Basin
- Olympic BMX Racing and Freestyle in Sepulveda Basin
- Olympic Skateboarding in Sepulveda Basin
More locations will be announced in the future, according to LA28.
