California will not be the only state hosting Olympic events for the 2028 Summer Olympics after organizers announced Friday their intentions to host two sports in Oklahoma.
The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic organizing committee announced multiple changes to venues for where sports will be competed in four years, with five Olympics sports being moved out of LA and two being moved out of California entirely. Organizers said the changes were made to keep the games on budget — as several recent Olympics have seen organizing costs spiral.
“LA28’s updated venue plan will provide the ideal Hollywood stage for the world’s top athletes, and choosing from spectacular existing venues, wherever they are, rather than building new permanent or temporary stadiums, achieves more than $150 million in savings and new revenue to help maintain a balanced budget,” LA28 Chairman and President Casey Wasserman said in a statement.
“We look forward to partnering with these venues and their experienced operators and workforce to deliver an unparalleled experience for athletes and fans in 2028,” he added.
The most significant change is the relocation of the softball and canoe slalom competitions to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Organizers said the changes were made due to the lack of existing canoe venues in the Western United States and of a high-capacity softball venue in the greater Southern California area.
“Instead of undertaking additional construction projects to build temporary venues for these sports, LA28 will assign canoe slalom and softball competitions to the world-class venues in Oklahoma City,” the organizing committee’s announcement said.
“Both the canoe slalom and softball venues in Oklahoma City are built to international competition standards, ensuring a high-quality experience for athletes and fans while allowing LA28 to realize cost savings and revenue gains to support its balanced budget,” the announcement continued. “LA28 also recognizes that the Oklahoma City community has consistently supported top events for both sports and is confident that they will for these Olympic competitions as well.”
Organizers claim moving the canoe venue out of California will be a net benefit of $32 million.
Oklahoma politicians celebrated the announcement, which will see the Sooner State become the fifth state to host a non-soccer Olympic competition. Missouri (1904 St. Louis Olympics), California (1932, 1984, and 2028 LA Olympics), Georgia (1996 Atlanta Olympics), and Tennessee (canoe slalom events at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics) have also hosted Olympic events other than soccer.
“Today, I can confirm that for the past six years, we have been working closely with leaders from LA28 and the City of Los Angeles to develop a plan to support LA’s delivery of the 2028 summer Olympics by hosting all Canoe Slalom and Women’s Softball events in Oklahoma City,” Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt said in a statement.
“We are excited about the opportunity to support one of America’s great global cities, Los Angeles, and work closely with the LA28 organizing committee to ensure that the 2028 Olympic Games are a success,” he added.
“Our world-class venues will offer guests an extraordinary experience as we watch @TeamUSA compete for gold. Congratulations, OKC!” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) wrote in a post on X.
Other adjustments to the venue list for the LA Olympics include moving the swimming competitions to SoFi Stadium, which is home to the LA Rams and Chargers, and moving the basketball competitions to the Intuit Dome, the LA Clippers’s future home, among other changes.
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The changes to the venue list, which include moving sports outside of LA city lines, will require the approval of the city.
At the conclusion of the Paris Olympics in August, the Olympic flag will be handed off to LA, which will play host to the Olympics for a third time. The Summer Olympics in LA are scheduled from July 14-30, 2028.
