2028 Los Angeles Paralympics Release Venue Plan with Swimming in Long Beach
The 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics on Tuesday released its venue plan, which has swimming situated in Long Beach, California.
The location of all competition sites are available for the two-week event, which will be held from Aug. 15-27. The Opening Ceremony will take place at SoFi Stadium, which will also host track and field. The Closing Ceremony will be at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
SoFi, in Ingelwood, will serve as the venue for Olympic swimming, the home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers getting a temporary pool. But Paralympic swimming will shift to the Convention Center Lot in Long Beach.
It will mark the first time since the 1984 Paralympics where Olympic swimming and Paralympic swimming take place in different venues. (The 1984 Paralympics – hosted jointly in Stoke Mandeville, England, and Long Island, N.Y. – were the last Paralympics hosted in a different locale than the corresponding Olympics that summer.)
All the venues for the Paralympics are within a 35-mile radius. Los Angeles is the official Host City, with Long Beach (seven sports) and Carson (three sports) designated as “Venue Cities”. (Arcadia, which has no such designation, will host para equestrian events.) The Paralympic village will be located on the campus of UCLA, more than 30 miles down the 405 away from Long Beach. The venue for powerlifting as well as the exact courses for cycling and marathon are still to be determined.
“The Paralympic Games showcases the highest level of athleticism, skill and endurance, and it is important for LA28 to deliver a plan that not only elevates Paralympic sport, but brings it to the next level,” LA 2028 CEO Reynold Hoover said in a press release. “The Paralympic venue plan ensures that Los Angeles’ first-ever Paralympic Games will take place in incredible existing stadiums and arenas across the region while creating the best possible experience for athletes and fans across the 560 events with accessibility top of mind.”
Olympic Para swimming will be part of a cluster with events in blind football, para canoe, para climbing, para rowing, shooting para sports and sitting volleyball in Long Beach. The venue will be an outdoor pool, renderings indicate.
“The first-ever Paralympic Games in Los Angeles will showcase the world’s top talent and provide an opportunity for L.A. to improve inclusive accessibility citywide,” LA mayor Karen Bass said. “The legacy of these Games will be imprinted on our city forever – proliferating beyond the boundaries of these venues to better all of Los Angeles.”
