Los Angeles 2028 Olympics to Hold Swimming Inside SoFi Stadium; Swimming Moved to Second Week of Games
World Aquatics has announced huge changes to the swimming venue and setup at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. In the midst of the first swim meet ever to be held inside an NFL stadium, with world-record attendance for swimming to boot, the sport’s governing organization revealed that the swimming events in four years will be held inside SoFi Stadium, the acclaimed venue that has hosted the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers for the last four seasons.
The setup of the pool at SoFi Stadium, which has previously hosted events including the Super Bowl, will allow 38,000 fans to witness nightly swimming events. Crowds of that size would shatter the current world record for largest crowd ever to view a swim meet, the 22,209 fans who witnessed the Wedneday evening session at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Previously, swimming had been scheduled for Dedeaux Field, an outdoor venue that currently hosts baseball for the University of Southern California. Plans to temporarily expand that stadium have been tabled given the choice to turn to a stadium that has previously hosted the Super Bowl.
Swimming typically takes place during the first week of the Olympics, but World Aquatics and the International Olympic Committee have chosen to move swimming to the second half, with World Athletics agreeing to a big change by moving events to the start of the Games. The reason for this switch is that SoFi Stadium had been scheduled as the main host for the Opening Ceremony. Thus, a pool will be built into SoFi Stadium, then covered up for the start of the Games and finally re-opened for several days of training leading into the first swimming events.
The Olympics will take place July 14-30, 2028, and if the nine-day swimming schedule utilized for Paris is kept for 2028 (which is likely), swimming would start July 21 or 22 and conclude July 29 or 30. Expect that under such circumstances, open water swimming would be moved to an early time within the Games as to not conflict with pool events.
Read the full letter sent from World Aquatics to national swimming governing bodies below:
Dear National Federations,
We write to share some exciting news regarding our Aquatics events at the upcoming Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (LA28).
Over the past several months, the World Aquatics team has worked closely with the IOC and LA28 on the planning and preparation for the LA28 Olympic Games. This collaboration has enabled World Aquatics to enhance the experience for athletes, coaches, officials and spectators, and elevate the global profile of Aquatic sports on the world’s biggest sporting stage. We are very excited and we hope you are too!
In this regard, there are two significant announcements:
First, as it concerns venues, we are excited to confirm that Swimming will take place in the iconic Stadium in Inglewood, California.1 Home of the National Football League’s Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, it is an unparalleled sports and entertainment venue in the adjacent Los Angeles city of Inglewood, California. The state-of-the-art venue will host the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the LA28 Opening Ceremony. At 5.5 billion USD, it is the most expensive (and equipped) stadium in the world.
The pool and infrastructure will be built into the Stadium prior to the start of the Games, then covered up and protected for the Opening Ceremony. The final fit-out of the pool construction will begin immediately after the Opening Ceremony and the grand unveil will start to take form. LA28 and the IOC will ensure minimal impact on lead-in training days for athletes with a well-orchestrated venue setup for Swimming immediately following the close of the Opening Ceremony. The World Aquatics team will monitor this work closely and we have confidence that the outcome will deliver a truly one-of-a-kind sporting experience for not only the athletes, but the entire world.
Second, the opportunity to compete in such spectacular venue will require an event schedule change. Through an agreement between the IOC, LA28, World Aquatics, and World Athletics, the Swimming programme dates have been moved to the second half of the Games (with Athletics switching to the first half). We have considered the impact that this change may have on Athlete preparations, broadcasting, news coverage and Games related experiences, and World Aquatics feels very comfortable that any impact will be minimal, notably when compared against the great opportunity we have been given to showcase our sport.
As it concerns Diving, Artistic Swimming, Open Water Swimming and Water Polo, please note the following venue locations for these events:
- Diving: 1932 Pool in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, CA
- Artistic Swimming: Convention Center Lot in Long Beach, CA
- Open Water Swimming: Waterfront in Long Beach, CA
- Water Polo: Convention Center Lot in Long Beach CA
More information is set out in the attached press release. We encourage all National Federations to celebrate this moment by following the same venue naming convention included above and please note that all venue changes in this LA28 announcement will be formally finalized with the approval of the Los Angeles City Council and IOC Executive Board in the coming months.
We firmly believe that these updates are extremely positive and will contribute to the continued growth and development of Aquatic sports worldwide. We look forward to collaborating closely with you on this new journey and, naturally, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office.