LA 2028: Venue plan unveiled for largest-ever Paralympics
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
The planned wheelchair basketball venue for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games is seen in a digital artist's rendering released June 3.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
LOS ANGELES – Events for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics will be held in downtown LA, Exposition Park, Venice Beach, Long Beach, Carson and Arcadia under the venue plan unveiled by organisers LA28 on June 3.
Like the LA Olympic Games, the Paralympics will seek to take advantage of the city's vast network of existing sports venues when it hosts the event for the first time. Downtown LA will be a major hub of activity with wheelchair fencing, para-judo, para-taekwondo, boccia and para-table tennis all held at the Convention Centre.
“By hosting multiple competitions side by side, the events will encourage constant movement, shared fan engagement and a festival-like environment that highlights the diversity of athletic performance,” LA28 said in a statement.
Wheelchair basketball will be held at Crypto.com Arena, home of the National Basketball Association’s LA Lakers, with the US men’s team looking to capture a fourth consecutive gold medal.
Goalball, a sport designed exclusively for people with visual impairments that requires total silence from the crowd, will take place at the nearby Peacock Theatre in an acoustically optimised setting.
LA Memorial Coliseum will host para-athletics and the Paralympics closing ceremony, while the opening ceremony will be held at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, home of the National Football League’s LA Rams and LA Chargers. Galen Centre will host para-badminton and wheelchair rugby, Carson will stage para-archery, wheelchair tennis and para-cycling, while Arcadia’s Santa Anita Park will be the site of para-equestrian.
On the west side of the city, Venice Beach will host para-triathlon and mark the starting point of the para-athletics marathon, while Long Beach will host seven events including para-swimming, blind football and para-climbing’s debut.
The most gender-balanced Paralympics yet will award the most medals in its history and feature 4,400 athletes across 23 sports. With every event taking place within a 56km radius, the venue plan seeks to minimise travel times for athletes staying in the Paralympic Village.
“The Paralympic Games showcases the highest level of athleticism, skill and endurance and it is important for LA28 to deliver a plan that not only elevates Paralympic sport but brings it to the next level,” said LA28 chief Reynold Hoover.
LA Mayor Karen Bass said the Games would provide an opportunity for the city to improve inclusive accessibility citywide.
“The legacy of these Games will be imprinted on our city forever – proliferating beyond the boundaries of these venues to better all of Los Angeles,” she said.
The Paralympics will be held from Aug 15 to 27 in 2028.
REUTERS
