LA Olympics organizers want to move diving to the Rose Bowl

Organizers for the 2028 Olympics want to move the diving competition from Exposition Park to the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena.

LA28, the private nonprofit that is organizing the games, had announced that diving would take place in John C. Argue swim stadium, an Exposition Park facility next to the Coliseum. That plan is changing course after organizers said the international governing body for aquatics raised "grave concerns" about that pool's safety features and ability to host the competition. The venue change needs approval from L.A. since it moves an event out of the host city.

Diving is one of those Olympic games that many spectators watch just once every four years. In some competitions, divers soar off a 10-meter-high platform, somersaulting as they plummet into the water below.

The public pool in Exposition Park where organizers had planned to host the event was originally built for the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. But in a request last week, LA28 told the city of Los Angeles that World Aquatics — the international federation for diving — advised organizers that the pool is not wide or deep enough for Olympic competition. Organizers determined that the pool would need complete reconstruction to meet Olympic standards.

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Enter the Rose Bowl. The aquatic center in Pasadena is Olympic-sized already, with more space than the John C. Argue swim stadium. Organizers estimate moving diving to Pasadena will save around $12 million in infrastructure costs and allow for increased revenue due to Rose Bowl capacity for more ticket sales.

LA28 says they can still pay to widen the pool in Exposition Park to be fit for national and international competition standards, in exchange for using the space for staging the Olympic Games, and for potential training events. An LA28 staff member estimated the cost would be less than $3 million.

City Council members discussed that move at an ad-hoc Olympics committee meeting last week.

"I'm glad that LA28 has come to the table to ensure that South L.A. is not left behind," said Councilmember Curren Price, who represents Exposition Park and the surrounding area. "This is the kind of legacy I think we must insist upon as the host city and as the financial guarantor of these games."

Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky raised concerns about the additional cost of renovating the pool since it will no longer be used in Olympic competition. The city of Los Angeles is on the hook to cover much of the cost of the Olympics if it goes over budget.

"Do you need to do that work or is it a nice to have?" she asked LA28 at the committee meeting last week. "My question, colleagues, is whether we want to force them to do nice-to-haves when we're focused on delivering the most cost-effective games possible so that we're not left holding a bag on the back end."

The committee advanced the plan for a venue change after the discussion. The full Los Angeles City Council still needs to vote.