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≡ COUNCIL COMMITTEE HEARING ≡
Something was clearly up when Rio 2026 Olympic silver medalist diver Sam Dorman spoke during the usually irrelevant public comments at Wednesday’s 8 a.m. meeting of the Los Angeles City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games:
“After earning a degree in engineering and an MBA in sports marketing and management, I’ve joined Duraflex International. We are the one-and-only diving board manufacturer in the world and the company that supplies every Olympic diving board since the 1960s.
“Throughout my career, I’ve experienced Olympic and international competition from both sides, first as an athlete, and now as a supplier, overseeing events, walk-throughs and equipment installations at the Olympic Games.
“While the John C. Argue pool is a popular pool, it is unfortunately is not a suitable pool for the Olympic competition. It presents too many obstacles; a complete renovation and reorientation of the current pool, that does not have enough space to even host a proper Olympic event.
“On the other hand, the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center is a prime location and the right choice to provide athletes with the best and safest experience. Structurally, it has the foundation of a world-class venue, it has the space, the infrastructure and the capacity to deliver an unforgettable Olympic experience.”
That set the stage for the already-in-motion announcement of the move of diving from Exposition Park to the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center, which offers multiple benefits for the Games:
● The Aquatics Center, opened in 1990, held the 2008 USA Diving Nationals and is in use today as a training facility. It already has six springboards, including two at 3 m, and platforms at 5 m, 7 m and 10 m.
● The John C. Argue/LA84 Foundation Swim Stadium was originally built as the Los Angeles Swim Stadium for the 1932 Olympic Games, and has not been substantially improved since then.
Once the planned temporary swimming and diving facility for USC’s Dedeaux Field had to be abandoned in view of the university re-development programs, the LA28 plan for diving turned to the ‘32 facility, shoe-horning in 5,000 seats right next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, site of ceremonies and track & field. This was always a rough fit.
● The announced schedule for diving is from 16-22 July (synchro and team events) and 25-28 July for individual events. That clashed with the track events in the Coliseum from 15-24 July and the flag football and lacrosse events at BMO Stadium on the other side of the Coliseum.
● Conversely, the Rose Bowl itself is only slated for football semifinals and finals on 24-25 July and 27-29 July, conflicting with diving only on three days.
● The move from the Argue/LA84 facility to the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center will be a huge help to the operation of the track & field competition, as it was used for check-in and final warm-up before competitors walked into the Coliseum. That option is now open again for 2028.
Later in the meeting, LA28 chief executive Reynold Hoover formalized the request, telling the committee, “This proposal comes after extensive analysis, conducted by LA28 and is supported by diving’s International Federation.”
Later in the meeting, Council member Curren Price Jr., whose district includes the swim stadium, told the committee:
“I’m glad that LA28 has come to the table to ensure that South L.A. is not left behind. They committed investing in the John C. Argue Swim Stadium in Expo Park and delivering a pool that is going to be certified for national and international competition.
“This means that long after the Games, our young people, our athletes and our community are going to have a world-class facility right here in South Los Angeles. This is the kind of legacy that I think we must insist upon, as the host city and as the financial guarantor. …
“This is how we make the Games work for all of L.A., by demanding that every change, every compromise, come with some lasting benefit for all of our residents.”
He also referred to an as-yet unpublicized plan to install added broadband communications towers in the South L.A. are, which could improve online access in the area.
Council member Katy Yaroslavsky, however, objected, asking whether the additional cost of renovating the swim facility was worth doing now, in view of the need for LA28 to have an operating surplus. She asked about the cost and Shana Ferguson, the LA28 Chief of Sport and Games Delivery, made a ballpark guess of $2-3 million, with the work to be completed in 2027.
Ferguson said this is a “nice to have” and not a “must-have” for LA28 and Yaroslavsky was a “no” on the vote to approve the change until Council member Bob Blumenfield said that the move would save $17 million for LA28. That was enough to change Yaroslavsky’s vote to a yes.
(A news release posted a couple of hours later noted the “relocation would achieve up to $17.6 million in combined savings and revenue growth” and that the 1932 pool renovation would be in lieu of rent for use in 2028.)
The diving venue change still has to be formally approved by the City Council, but that should be a formality.
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There was significant further discussion of the LA28 Impact and Sustainability Report, filed Monday, which had goals of 75% of “addressable spend” in the Greater Los Angeles Area and 25% of “addressable spend” with small businesses.
Council member Hugo Soto-Martinez crystallized the Council’s position this way:
“When I think about the Olympics, I want to make sure when this happens, that the people that are going to benefit the most are those small businesses. People are going to drink coffee? I want to see South L.A. Cafe being there, selling that coffee. And also giving a flavor of the city.”
So, the committee agreed on a motion to ask for a “tiered” preference even within the local spending to prioritize spending within the City of Los Angeles first, the County of Los Angeles second and then outward, with some sort of penalties imposed for not meeting the goals.
There will be more discussion on this; Hoover noted that about 80% of LA28’s spending will come in the final 18 months prior to the Games.
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Hoover also noted that the organizing committee is ramping up quickly, with more than 400 on staff now and 600 expected by the end of the year.
A volunteer program not just to help at the Games, but to help in the community is expected to open later this year. The cultural program is developing, with many meetings with community groups ongoing and initial programming details coming next month.
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