The Los Angeles 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid made modifications to its venue plans Thursday as the bid committee endeavors to host the Games using as many existing facilities as possible in order to deliver a low-cost and sustainable solution with the least amount of required construction.
New sites included in an announcement are the Honda Center in Anaheim; the Long Beach’s Arena, Convention Center, Waterfront and Pier; and the Riviera Country Club in L.A. Officials say selected these venues following “months of consultations with the international sports federations and local communities.”
The changes create a larger cluster of sports in Long Beach, creating a Park that can benefit from other spectator facilities such a celebration sites and cultural attractions.
The Long Beach Sports Park will stage Handball in its 13,500 seat Arena, BMX and Water Polo in temporary facilities along the Long Beach Waterfront, Marathon Swimming and Triathlon along the Long Beach Waterfront and Sailing along the Long Beach Belmont Pier. It will be 40 minutes from the UCLA Olympic Village.
The Honda Center in Anaheim, with an 18,000 seat capacity and 40 minute rail connection to the Olympic Village, will be set to host volleyball. Wrestling and Judo will replace Volleyball at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion, providing those sports with a 13,800 seat arena that recently underwent $136 million in renovations.
The Riviera Country Club will host the men’s and women’s golf tournaments should LA be successful in its bid – that’s a move from the previously proposed Wilson Golf Course in Griffith Park.
LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman said: “We’re very pleased to add more world-class existing venues to our fiscally responsible and innovative Games Plan for 2024.”
“The IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms encourage cities to be sustainable, efficient and go where our existing venues are, and that is what we have done with this enhanced Games Plan.
“Every time we have identified an opportunity to enhance our plan in line with the principles of Olympic Agenda 2020, we have taken it.”
These most recent venue changes will be published in part 2 of the bid’s candidature file which is due to be submitted to the IOC on October 7. The IOC will elect the host city from among Budapest, Paris and possibly Rome at an all-members session to be held in Lima, Peru September 13 next year.
Rome could drop out of the race after the city’s Mayor refused to support the campaign Wednesday. The city assembly is set to approve a motion to abandon its bid plans.
