Swimmers take your marks! SoFi Stadium has officially been approved by the Los Angeles city council as the LA28 Olympic swimming venue, and it is set to be the largest swimming venue in Olympic history.
The normally 70,000-seat football stadium will be transformed into a 38,000-seat natatorium, making it one of very few venues outside of Los Angeles to host Olympic events. SoFi Stadium is in Inglewood, Calif., about eight miles from L.A. Memorial Stadium. The venue will host swimming, artistic swimming and paralympic swimming. Diving will be hosted at 1932 Pool in Exposition Park.
According to Swim Swam, “LA28 originally planned to host swimming in a temporary venue at Dedeaux Field, the home of the USC baseball team.” Those plans changed after the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials. That event at Lucas Oil Stadium inspired the decision to move swimming to SoFi Stadium.
Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, said, “This venue plan sets the stage for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games to engage every part of our city like no Games in history. The changes approved by the City Council will improve the financial plan for the Games and help us ensure that LA28 will leave a lasting legacy and turn a profit for the people of Los Angeles — as did our 1932 and 1984 Games. I applaud the City Council for their approval of this plan, and I thank the organizing committee for their continuing hard work to make sure the 2028 Games will make all of America proud as we welcome and inspire the world.”
Swimming isn’t the only sport to be moved outside of the city of Los Angeles. Organizers have also approved separate cities —hundreds of miles away in some cases — for basketball, canoe slalom and softball. Oklahoma City will be the host city for both softball and canoe slalom, as LA28 organizers said there aren’t suitable venues for these sports in the city of angels.
