Rather than a single Olympic Park, the LA28 Games will be organised into several distinct Zones.
Some Zones are action-packed, featuring multiple disciplines and medal events, while others focus on a single sport and leverage the city’s existing world-class infrastructure.
In this series, The 1461 deconstructs these key hubs, providing an overview of the venues and sports that will take place in each Zone.
The Exposition Park Zone is the most central of the Olympic Zones, and features three separate venues:
- LA Memorial Coliseum
- Exposition Park Stadium
- Galen Center
LA Memorial Coliseum
The LA Memorial Coliseum was completed in 1923 as a memorial to Los Angeles veterans of World War I.
LA 2028 will see it become the first venue to host the Olympics on three times. In 1932, it served as the site of field hockey, gymnastics, equestrian, and track and field events, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.
| Games | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney 2020 | Stadium Australia | 115,000 |
| Berlin 1936 | Olympiastadion | 110,000 |
| Melbourne 1956 | MCG | 104,000 |
| Moscow 1980 | Stadion Luzhniki | 103,000 |
| Los Angeles 1932 | LA Memorial Coliseum | 101,574 |
Although the venue is still the fifth-largest to host the Games, its capacity was reduced to 80,000 by the time the Games returned in 1984.
The capacity was reduced further in the late 2010s, after a $270 million renovation project saw every seat replaced, with the official capacity now 77,500, on par with recent venues Japan National Stadium (68,000) and the Stade de France (81,338).
In 2028, the venue will host the Track & Field events, but will also be the site of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
The Opening Ceremony will be held simultaneously at the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium, eight miles away.
The first golds handed out at the Coliseum will come the following day, with the first of 48 golds awarded in the Men’s 10,000m and Women’s 100m.
The traditional Olympic schedule has been flipped, with Athletics taking place during the first week to allow SoFi Stadium to be converted into a swimming venue.
Exposition Park Stadium
Just four gold medals will be awarded at Exposition Park Stadium, but they promise to be some of the most interesting, with the inaugural Flag Football medal events and the return of Lacrosse after a 120-year gap.
BMO Stadium, as it’s called outside the Games, opened in April 2018 and is home to two football teams: Los Angeles FC (MLS) and Angel City FC (NWSL).
A flag football field is much smaller than a regular football pitch, so there is a chance that multiple games will take place at the same time. The event runs from July 15-22, with medals awarded on both July 21 and 22.
After Flag Football, the Lacrosse tournaments will run from July 24-30, with both tournaments concluding on July 30.
Galen Center
Just like Exposition Park Stadium, the Galen Center will also have to change things halfway through the Games to host two separate disciplines.
The Badminton competition will run from July 15-24. A total of five gold medals will be awarded before the venue is converted to host Rhythmic Gymnastics, with two medals awarded over the last three days of the Games.
During the Paralympics, Para Badminton and Wheelchair Rugby will both take place at the Galen Center.