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Indianapolis is preparing to host the 2024 U.S. Olympic swimming trials at Lucas Oil Stadium, the first time the event will be held in an NFL stadium, but officials are already turning their attention to the 2028 Summer Olympics trials in Los Angeles.
“We want to be part of the Olympic movement with Los Angeles coming up in '28,” said Patrick Talty, president of the Indiana Sports Corp. “I think it makes perfect sense for us to be part of that movement.”
Speaking on Inside Indiana Business with Jerry Dick, Talty said the process to secure the 2028 trials begins now, similar to the work that began four years ago for this year's tournament.
“This bid actually came in during the pandemic, so we were actually preparing for this in June and July of 2020, sitting in our offices, wearing masks, staying six feet apart,” Talty said. “We had to think, 'How do we put it all together? What will the athletics competition be like? What unique things can we do with the swimming preliminaries?' We felt like we could take it to the next level, maybe we could set a new standard for the Olympics to be a preliminaries in other cities.”
Indianapolis competed against three other finalist cities, including Omaha, Nebraska, Minneapolis and St. Louis, which have hosted the trials since 2004. Talty said the proposal to hold the event at Lucas Oil Stadium was an intriguing one.
“We wanted to find a way to do it in the largest, most accessible venue for our fans to be able to participate and experience it. Unfortunately, in Omaha, we were limited in how many people could come because of seating and it sold out quickly, so we thought the NFL Stadium would be the perfect place.”
Talty attributes Indianapolis's ability to continue hosting big events like the swim meet primarily to its downtown walkability and the state's “Hoosier hospitality,” but he says collaboration within the city is also a key factor.
“Our ability to come together and create and achieve great things is something that no other city has. I've lived in other cities. I've hosted events in other cities, but in Indy, no matter what walk of life you're in, where you're from, what side of the street you're on, we have the ability to come together and achieve great things.”
This year's swimming trials began Saturday and run through June 23, but Talty said he is considering a bid for the 2028 tournament.
“We should definitely do it,” he said. “Right now, I'm just saying we need people to come. We need people to experience this. And we need people to show the swimming community that central Indiana cares about the Olympic movement. Filling this place up would go a long way toward doing that.”
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