The Los Angeles City Council approved changes to the plans for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics venues on March 28. Prior to this, two council members expressed dissatisfaction with the removal of some venues from Los Angeles.
The council unanimously agreed to modify the plans, with detailed adjustments outlined in a joint report by the city’s administrative office and legislative analyst. Council members also authorized an economic study to assess the impact of these changes. They also requested the private organization LA28 responsible for the Olympics to submit an independent report studying the venue changes, the economic impact of added sports events, and the lessons learned from the 2024 Paris Olympics. LA28 is required to submit the report by June 30.
LA28’s CEO, Reynold Hoover, previously reported that the final venue plans would be submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on April 9. Councilmember Traci Park requested Hoover to provide the council with a new venue list under consideration by LA28. Hoover declined, but mentioned that LA28 would inform city government officials before making an official announcement to the IOC. He explained that they are still carrying out analysis and research, checking all venues, and are not ready to publicly disclose a full list of other venues.
The council also approved further revisions, requesting economic studies on transportation and security matters. They also approved Councilmember Tim McOsker’s proposal to move the sailing competition from Long Beach to San Pedro. McOsker stated that the port of San Pedro is fully capable of hosting sailing competitions, citing successful events such as the Sail GP and annual fleet week activities held there. He also mentioned the better security facilities at the port and its capacity to accommodate up to 10,000 spectators.
In 2017, Los Angeles approved the current venue plan for the 2028 Olympics. Los Angeles initially bid for the 2024 Olympics, but Paris was ultimately selected as the host city, making Los Angeles the host for the 2028 Olympics. Changes to the venue plan were announced last summer, but any modifications require the consent of the Los Angeles city government.
According to the adjustments, basketball games will be moved to the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Olympic swimming competitions will take place at the nearby SoFi Stadium, and gymnastics events will be relocated to the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. According to a joint report by the city’s administrative office and chief legislative analyst, the downtown arena can provide more seats and hospitality facilities, allowing more spectators to watch one of the main Olympic events.
Under the updated plan, the Sepulveda Basin will host events such as modern pentathlon, mountain biking, skateboarding, and 3×3 basketball.
Some events will not be held in Los Angeles, with whitewater kayaking taking place in Oklahoma City, equestrian events in Temecula, and Paralympic shooting events at an undecided venue outside the city.
The 2028 Olympics will introduce flag football, squash, and cricket for the first time. The venues for squash and cricket events are yet to be determined. The baseball competition venue is also still in the planning stages.
The BMO Sports Park in Los Angeles will host flag football and field hockey competitions, while volleyball matches will be moved from the UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion to Long Beach.
Football preliminaries will be held at various sports venues throughout Los Angeles County. There are reports indicating that the football semifinals and finals will be held at the Rose Bowl Stadium.
Softball will return alongside baseball and will be held in Oklahoma City.
LA28 and city officials stated that no new venues will be constructed for the Olympics, meaning existing venues will be used for the competitions. According to the updated venue plan estimates, city officials considered the overall revenue and cost implications, projecting a profit of $162 million. The current budget for the Olympics and Paralympics is $6.8 billion, resulting in a profit margin of approximately 2.35%.
Reports suggest that ticket sales are expected to decrease by 5%, as more tickets are anticipated to be sold out-of-state. LA28 aims to fund the operation of the Olympics through ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, merchandise sales, and donations from the International Olympic Committee. According to Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, if LA28 and the city government incur losses from the Olympics, the city government will bear a liability of $270 million, with some debts to be covered by the state government, but ultimately Los Angeles will have to deal with the repercussions.
“In any case, we absolutely cannot afford these consequences,” Harris-Dawson stated on the 26th. “We can’t even bear half of it, let alone all of it.” Therefore, Los Angeles must ensure the successful hosting of the Olympics, he said, leaving behind assets instead of debt, as was done in 1984.