The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on Friday announced changes to its venue plan that include holding swimming at the home of the Rams and Chargers and placing a pair of events states away in Oklahoma.
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 the new 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, which will become the first stadium to host track and field events in three Olympics.
"To put one of those big three Olympic sports in a spectacular venue with the capacity we could have to showcase that sport was frankly just too good an opportunity," Casey Wasserman, chairman of the organizing committee, told The New York Times of the decision to hold swimming at SoFi.
Softball and canoe slalom events will now be held in Oklahoma City, pending approval from the City of Los Angeles. LA28 said the largest softball venue in Southern California seats under 2,000 people and that it expects robust attendance, while there is no canoe slalom venue that exists in the region. Softball will be played at 13,000-seat Devon Park, which hosts the annual Women's College World Series. Riversport OKC, which hosted this year's Olympic trials, will be the site for canoe slalom in 2028.
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.
"Oklahoma City has hosted many international competitions at our unique, world-class whitewater and softball venues," Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt said. "We are confident we will be an outstanding partner to LA28 in creating a dynamic environment for Olympians and fans. We are excited about the opportunity to support one of America's great global cities, Los Angeles, and work closely with the LA28 organizing committee to ensure that the 2028 Olympic Games are a success."
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.
The temporary competition and warm-up pools will be already built and covered during the opening ceremony. Afterward, a temporary stand will be constructed while athletes train in the leadup to the start of swimming.
"World Aquatics feels very comfortable that any impact will be minimal, notably when compared against the great opportunity we have been given to showcase our sport," the governing body said in a statement.
Swimming was originally set for the baseball stadium on the USC campus, which is undergoing major renovations to its athletic facilities.
USA Swimming is holding its trials for the Paris Games in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, home to the NFL's Colts. Wasserman said during a teleconference that he wasn't worried about filling the seats at SoFi.
"I have no doubt, if we had more seats to sell that could see the competition pool, we could sell them," he said. "We're very confident that this is going to be really a swimming competition for the ages."
Athletics' marathon events will remain over the final weekend, with medals presented during the closing ceremony.
"We are excited to support this visionary timetable change for LA28," World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said in a statement. "This change underscores our commitment to innovation in athletics and elevating the global profile of our athletes."
LA28 said 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 at Exposition Park south of downtown Los Angeles, being held in the same pool that hosted the aquatics events at the 1932 Olympics. 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 1½ 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 said the changes will create an estimated $156 million in combined savings and revenue increases. Each venue shift will achieve at least a $10 million estimated economic improvement, organizers said, 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 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.
The Los Angeles Olympics -- the third Games to be hosted by the city -- will be held from July 14-30, 2028. More than 10,000 athletes from over 200 countries will compete in 35 sports currently on the program.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.