Following the announcement that the swimming events for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games will take place inside SoFi Stadium, the Chairman of the LA28 Committee said: Casey Wasserman Wasserman spoke to media at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday about the decision, where he provided more details on the logistics surrounding the decision, as well as decisions regarding other sports, such as softball.
Wasserman said it's “highly unlikely” the 2028 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials will take place at SoFi Stadium because the stadium will be hosting concerts that would overlap with tournaments and pool construction. Additionally, LA28 also needs time to prepare for the opening ceremony at SoFi. Because of the opening ceremony, swimming has been pushed back to the second week of the Games (different from the usual first-week timeframe), and part of the pool deck needs to be constructed in five days.
Even though the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium take place four years before the LA28 Olympics, LA28 and USA Swimming inspired each other on the idea of holding a swim meet in an NFL stadium, Wasserman said.
Additionally, Wasserman said the pool for the Los Angeles Games will likely be built by the same people who built the pool at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“We began thinking about alternative locations for the swim and in discussions with USA Swimming, [we sad] “We've been looking at the idea because obviously it's complicated,” Wasserman said of putting a swimming pool at the football stadium. “They said, 'We've been thinking about it, but if we're going to go in that direction, we'll go ahead and really learn all the lessons and create the opportunity.'
Originally, the LA28 plan called for the swim meet to be held at the University of Southern California's baseball stadium, Dedeaux Field, as a temporary venue, but changes to the university's campus master plan meant the field could no longer be used for the event, something Wasserman said the committee has known about for several years.
Wasserman attended the eighth night final of the Olympic Trials, which included: Katie LedeckyHe serves as a director of LA28.
About Softball
Wasserman also spoke about the decision to bring softball and slalom canoeing to Oklahoma City, a decision that has generated considerable controversy within the softball community. Wasserman said one of the reasons softball, which will play in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but not in the 2024 Paris Olympics, was moved to the city was to save money.
“When you add a sport, it adds cost and complexity,” Wasserman said, “so anything we can do to reduce the cost and complexity, we're going to take advantage of that, because as everyone knows, we're responsible for paying for these games.”
Oklahoma City is home to the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium, which has hosted the Women's College World Series every year since 1990 (except 1996). Despite the fact that the Los Angeles area has two major league stadiums (Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium) and baseball would likely be played at Dodger Stadium, Wasserman is opposed to the idea of playing softball in a baseball stadium.
But Wasserman said softball and slalom canoe athletes will have the opportunity to take part in at least one of the opening or closing ceremonies in Los Angeles.
“I think softball is a great sport and having it on a baseball field is not the best presentation of our great sport. I think having it at Angel Stadium is unfair to the sport of softball,” Wasserman said.[Oklahoma City[ has the best venue probably in the world for softball — it’s one of the most important sports in [Oklahoma]”It will create a fantastic experience for softball players in that community and around the world.”
About Caitlin Clark
Additionally, Wasserman was asked about USA Basketball's decision to remove the Indiana Fever rookie and No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft from the team. Caitlin Clark Clark's removal from the U.S. women's basketball team for the 2024 Paris Olympics has been controversial due to her popularity within the sport, with Clark calling the decision a “missed opportunity” to grow women's basketball.
“[Clark] “Clearly a generational talent at a time when the world was ready for it,” Wasserman said. “Unbelievable talent and a disgrace to all of us. [we weren’t] A place to embrace that. Take Diana for example. [Tirausi] Breanna Stewart… They are overwhelming on a level never seen before, but the world wasn't ready to fill buildings like that. [they did for Clark.]”
“I think it was an opportunity to raise the level of the women's team.”
Wasserman also noted that Clark did not have the same opportunity to be evaluated by the USA Basketball Association as other players because he had to miss the national team training camp, to which he was only invited, due to his participation in the NCAA Final Four.
But Wasserman acknowledged the challenges of being part of the Olympic team selection committee whose priority was to pick the best possible squad for Paris. Notably, Clarke has never played for the senior national team before.
“I understand that aspect of it being an independent process,” Wasserman said. “If it were a simple thing, we wouldn't be arguing about it.”
