The Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 (LA28) has announced plans to move equestrian and para equestrian competitions to an existing purpose-built facility in Temecula, Southern California, emphasising sustainability, legacy, and fiscal responsibility in their decision.
The relocation of equestrian and para equestrian events, which were previously assigned to the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area, will achieve significant cost savings by eliminating the need to construct an expensive, entirely temporary venue.
“The plan to relocate equestrian competitions to the existing Equestrian Center in Temecula is a positive development for the sport and the equestrian community,” FEI President and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Ingmar De Vos said.
“The FEI has worked closely with the Organising Committee to evaluate and choose a venue capable of hosting all equestrian and para equestrian events with the aim of managing the overall costs and complexity.
“Importantly, the venue can also accommodate Eventing competitions which was a condition of the IOC Executive Board to include this discipline in the programme of the LA28 Olympic Games. The reasoning behind the venue change also fits well with equestrian sport’s sustainability ideals and aims, and will create lasting legacies for the local community. With this important announcement we can now start working with LA28 on the field-of-play design and organisation of the equestrian competitions.”
The LA28 Organising Committee revised its venue plans to use more existing venues, and fewer temporary venues, in order to make the Olympic and Paralympic Games more sustainable while elevating the experience for athletes and fans. The new venue assignments will create more than US$150 million in combined cost savings and revenue increases for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The amendments to the venue master plan, that have already been approved by the IOC Executive Board, will be put forward to the City Council of Los Angeles for its formal approval in the coming months, as the proposals involve relocating the competition venues outside the city’s boundaries, and differ from the plans initially submitted during the bid.
“We are thrilled a venue has been chosen that can host all the equestrian events,” CEO of the United States Equestrian Federation Bill Moroney said.
“The announcement of the equestrian venue aligns with the IOC requirement stating all equestrian events must be held at the same location. The Equestrian Center for the LA28 Games in Temecula will be a world class international experience on the field of play for the athletes, horses, and their support teams as well as for fans and spectators alike.
“US Equestrian is proud to support equestrian sport’s inclusion in the Olympic and Paralympic programmes for 2028 and is eager to work with the FEI, LA28 Organising Committee, and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee to bring an extraordinary event to the USA. The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games hold immense potential to elevate the visibility and popularity of our sport nationwide.”
The IOC Executive Board will finalise the events, athlete quota and competition formats for the LA28 Olympic Programme following the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with a final decision expected in 2025.
The Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 will take place from 14 to 30 July, followed by the Paralympic Games from 15 to 27 August.
More information about updates to the venue plan for the Olympic and Paralympic Games LA28, can be found here.
The full submission put forward to the City of Los Angeles can be found here.
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