When the Olympics come to Los Angeles in 2028, there will be events in the San Fernando Valley for the very first time. Alex Rozier reports for the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Monday, August 12, 2024.
When the Olympics come to Los Angeles in 2028, there will be events in the San Fernando Valley for the very first time.
The Valley didn’t host any competitions when Los Angeles was the host city in 1932 and 1984, but that will change four years from now.
BMX, Skateboarding, and Archery will take place at the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area.
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A rendering of the SoFi Stadium venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the Oklahoma City softball venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the Intuit Dome venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the USC campus pool venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the LA Memorial Coliseum venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the Intuit Dome venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the Crypto.com Arena venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the canoe competition venue planned for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
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One of the largest buildings of its kind in the country, the Los Angeles Convetion Center will host fencing, judo, table tennis, taekwondo and wresting at the 2028 Olympics. It housed the main press headquarters for the 1984 Olympics.
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Long Beach’s Belmont Shore will host sailing events in the 2028 Olympics.
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The 242-acre Equestrian Center in Temecula will be home to equestrian events in the 2028 Olympics.
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The home of volleyball and fencing at the 1984 Olympics, Long Beach will provide a venue on the waterfront for handball in 2028.
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The athletic fields in Carson are used by the MLS LA Galaxy for training, but they will become a temporary field hockey venue for the 2028 Olympics.
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Marine Stadium in Long Beach will be home to canoe sprint and rowing at the 2028 Olympics. The location hosted rowing in the 1932 Olympics.
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The waterfront in Long Beach will be home to marathon swimming the triathlon at the 2028 Olympics.
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The Carson Tennis Center will host tennis at the 2028 LA Olympics.
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The velodrome in Carson will host track cycling in the 2028 Olympics. It is next to the site of the demolished velodrome for the 1984 Olympics. It is the largest indoor velodrome in the United States.
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Fore! The Riviera Country Club in West Los Angeles will host golf at the 2028 Olympics.
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The Theatre venue in downtown Los Angeles’ LA Live will host weightlifting in the 2028 Olympics.
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The Galen Center at USC in Exposition Park south of downtown Los Angeles will host badminton in the 2028 Olympics.
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Home to the LA Galaxy of MLS, the stadium in Carson will be home to rugby sevens in the 2028 Olympics.
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Artistic swimming and water polo will be at the Long Beach Convention Center in the 2028 Olympics.
The news is exciting for many people who live in work in the Valley, but also for fans of the sports like BMX, which started in Southern California.
“BMX history locally is huge. A lot of the first early pro tracks were here. A lot of the BMX manufacturers were here,” Tommy Gelinas, founder of the Valley Relics Museum, said. A portion of the museum is dedicated to the sport.
“I am so stoked,” Gelinas said. “The fact that we were part of the early beginnings of BMX now an Olympic sport, and now it's coming back to the Valley, which is like full circle.”
Nancy Hoffman Vanyek, President of the San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce, knows that the Olympics will be great for people and business.
“We’re the perfect host. If the city of Los Angeles has 4 million people and 2 million people live right here, we are the perfect host and hostesses for the people coming to our community,” Hoffman Vanyek said. “We’re five cities really, but most of it is the city of LA; We have Calabasas, San Fernando, Glendale, Burbank and Hidden Hills. Small little cities, all those cities are also going to be affected whether it’s people going to restaurants, people staying in hotels. It's all going to trickle out to all these areas.”
Though we are still four years away, people in the Valley seem almost ready to host the games now.
“How exciting is that to watch this all take place and evolve over the next four years leading up to the next Olympics?” Gelinas said. “Especially that the BMX sport started here. And now having a light shine on it globally is so huge for us.”
