Friday the Los Angeles 2024 Olympic bid committee released renderings of the proposed aquatics facility and venues for track and field.
The modernized LA Memorial Coliseum and the temporary aquatics venue are located within LA 2024’s Downtown Cluster, which the committee says includes state-of-the-art stadiums and arenas like Staples Center, Galen Center, Microsoft Theater and Los Angeles Football Club Stadium at Exposition Park.
The Coliseum was the venue for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and track and field for the 1932 and 1984 Olympics, and will receive $270 million in refurbishments funded by USC starting in 2018, which will include upgraded sports, training and media facilities, as well as brand new hospitality facilities.
Warm-up and operations facilities will be housed under the temporary athletics deck. The track surface will be removed and the stadium will be returned to USC following the Closing Ceremony of the Paralympics.
USC’s Dedeaux Field – home of the university’s baseball team – will be transformed into an open-air swimming venue. The adjacent training venue will be two pools at USC’s Uytengsu Aqautics Center, site of the 1984 Olympic swimming competitions.
LA 2024’s aquatics venue was earlier proposed for Exposition Park’s new Los Angeles Football Club Stadium, which will now be used for Olympic soccer matches.
LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman said, “our goal with all of our venue choices has been first and foremost to deliver an excellent field of play and the perfect conditions for the athletic performances of a lifetime. After that, we have tried to create an interesting blend of ultra-modern venues and upgraded iconic sites.”
“We are extremely grateful for the feedback we have received from all of the international sports federations. Their insight has been invaluable in helping us optimize our venue configuration, and every adjustment we have made has been a significant upgrade.
“LA 2024 is now better placed than ever to deliver the ultimate personalized experience for athletes and every stakeholder of the Olympic Family.”
With most venues ready-built, LA 2024 projects a budget of about $4.5 billion to prepare for the Games. Including Games revenues and an injection of USD $1.7 billion from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), planners expect to generate a small surplus.
Los Angeles is competing with Budapest, Rome and Paris for the 2024 Olympics. The host city will be selected by the IOC in September 2017.
