Los Angeles 2028 Olympics: SoFi Stadium

SoFi Stadium, home of both the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, will be transformed into a 38,000-seat natatorium for swimming events at the 2028 Olympic games, the largest swimming venue in Olympic history.

SoFi Stadium is a 70,240-seat multi-purpose stadium in the Inglewood suburb of Los Angeles. In the spirit of the ancient Roman Coliseum which hosted everything from gladiatorial battles, the hunting of wild animals, public executions and even sea battles, SoFi was designed ground up for flexibility in hosting a wide variety of events. Seating can be increased up to 100,000. The 1,000,000 sf roof is made up of 302 translucent panels, 46 of which can be retracted.

The Oculus

The revolutionary two-sided oval video board at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles was originally named the Oculus before the stadium opened but it was changed to Infinity Screen by Samsung, referencing the builder of the display. According to Samsung the Infinity Screen has the most LEDs ever used in a sports or entertainment venue, and also supports the first and only 4K, end-to-end video.

Let’s quickly then go through the diverse events staged at SoFi in just it’s first four and ½ years of operation:

Football

Opened in September 2020, SoFi stadium is home to two NFL teams: The Rams and the Chargers. Only one other stadium hosts two NFL teams: MetLIfe Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Sofi is scheduled to be the venue for the 2027 Super Bowl.

Soccer

SoFi hosted the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final and it is scheduled to host eight matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Sofi will therefore be the first stadium to host three global events in three consecutive years: The World Cup, The Super Bowl and The Olympics.

Wrestlemania

SoFi hosted Wrestlemania 39 April 1-2 in 2023. Over 67,000 fans attended each night to watch 15 matches.

Music Concerts

SoFi has produced a number of concerts by top global artists: Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, The Rolling Stones, Black-Eyed Peas, Usher, Paul McCartney and Coldplay.

Monster Trucks

Sofi has hosted an event called Monster Jam in 2024 and will host it again in a few days. The event involves modified trucks on massive tires performing stunts and tricks, navigating obstacle courses and racing. In order to create the course for the races it was necessary to bring in 10 million pounds of dirt.

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Opening Ceremony

It has just been announced that Los Angeles will make Olympic history in 2028 by staging opening ceremonies at both the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium. LA28 organizers confirmed the unprecedented dual-venue format on Thursday, making Los Angeles the first city to open an Olympics at two stadiums simultaneously.

The Olympic closing ceremony will be held on the 30th of July at the Coliseum. The Paralympic Games will open at SoFi Stadium on the 15th of August and close at the Coliseum on the 27th of August.

2028 Olympic Swim Stadium

LA28 originally was planning on using a temporary venue to host swimming at the University of Southern California. However, plans changed following the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, which took place inside Lucas Oil Stadium — the home of the Indianapolis Colts. The successful conversion of Lucas Oil Stadium was all the officials from Los Angeles needed to see. The USC facility would have 17,000 seats. Moving to Sofi would double the number to 38,000.

“I have no doubt that it will be the biggest attended swim meet in this country’s history, and maybe the most spectacular swim meet ever,” Casey Wasserman, chairman of the organizing committee, said in the release.

Domino Effect

The decision to bring swimming to SoFi started a domino effect on other events shuffling around Los Angeles and, in one case, to the Midwest. This is in part a decision rooted in how the 2028 Games will be funded. LA 28 is relying on private funding, and planning on making significant money from ticket revenue.

Track and field will take swimming’s traditional slot in the first week while the pool gets constructed and covered at SoFi after the opening ceremonies.

Basketball will move from Crypto.com Arena, home to the Lakers, to the Intuit Dome, the Clippers’ new arena, which is set to open in August.

Gymnastics will move from the Kia Forum to Crypto.com Arena.

Diving, synchronized swimming, and Paralympic swimming will move to other venues in L.A. and Long Beach.

Softball will be played in Oklahoma City, 1,300 miles east of Los Angeles.

SoFi Stadium’s Olympic Legacy: Beyond the Games

The infrastructure enhancements undertaken for the Olympics will have a lasting impact on SoFi Stadium and the surrounding community. The temporary pool will be repurposed for community use after the Games, providing a valuable resource for residents.

2028 US Olympic Swimming Hopefuls

It’s a little early to predict who the Olympic swimming stars in 2028 will be, but one thing I am betting on for sure: Katie Ledecky will be there.

The queen of distance swimming and arguably the greatest female swimmer of all time just a few days prior to the publishing of this article broke her 9-year old world record in the 800 freestyle. the 28-year-old Ledecky lowered the mark from 8:04.79, set at the Rio Olympics in 2016 when she was 19, to an astonishing 8:04.12.

This is Ledecky’s 16th career individual world record, and her first since nearly seven years ago—May 16, 2018, when she set the current 1500 meter free record (15:20.48) at the Pro Swim Series meet in Indianapolis.

Greatness seemingly has no expiration date.