President Husain Al Musallam led a three-day site visit to ensure a world-class Olympic experience for athletes and fans
A World Aquatics team, including President Husain Al Musallam, Treasurer Dale Neuburger, Bureau Member and Olympic swimming champion Dániel Gyurta, and Executive Director Brent Nowicki, carried out a three-day site visit to Los Angeles last week.
The team visited planned competition venues in Long Beach and Los Angeles, covering the Olympic aquatic sports of Swimming, Water Polo, Diving, Artistic Swimming and Open Water Swimming.
They were joined by a team from the LA28 Organising Committee that included CEO Gen. Reynold Hoover, Olympic swimming champion and Chief Athlete Officer Janet Evans, Chief Sport and Games Delivery Officer Shana Ferguson, Vice President for Sport Niccolo Campriani, and Sport Manager Carli Brashier.
The tour included a visit to the iconic SoFi Stadium, which will be transformed into a spectacular swimming arena. The World Aquatics and LA28 teams discussed the overall layout of the pools and seating, the athlete preparation areas and the plans for sports presentation. During the Games, the venue is expected to feature a 39,000 seat arena, with ample seating for athletes to witness history being made beneath the pioneering 80-million pixel Infinity Screen.
The venues for Water Polo, Artistic Swimming and Open Water Swimming were equally impressive. The cluster of sports in Long Beach will provide a unique and intimate “neighbourhood” feel during the Olympic Games.
LA28 also presented the initial plans for Diving, which will be a crown jewel event in Pasadena, in the celebrated Rose Bowl Stadium which will become one of only two venues to have ever been used for three editions of the Olympic Games.
World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam was deeply impressed with the scope and scale of the venue projects and noted the importance of the event in promoting aquatic sports;
“I am proud to say that all our sports are on a remarkable upward trajectory. At our recent World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, we welcomed 206 Member Federations – a clear sign of the sport’s growth globally. Looking ahead, swimming at LA28 is expected to include participants from more National Olympic Committees than ever before at the Olympic Games. These milestones show that we are moving in the right direction and inspire us to keep innovating and evolving, so more people around the world can have the chance to compete on the world stage. I have no doubt that the venues here in Los Angeles will provide an outstanding setting for our athletes, and an important platform for the continued development of aquatic sports.”
During the visit, the group also discussed transportation plans, athlete village and overall participant experience.
Speaking after the meetings, President Al Musallam added;
“The fan experience is very important too. Our fans are a vital part of the global aquatics community and they help to make our sports what they are. It is very encouraging to see that LA28 has placed such a high priority on creating an exceptional environment for spectators. I look forward to experiencing the Games alongside them and I want to thank the LA28 Organising Committee for all the work being done to make the event a success – the excitement and momentum towards 2028 can be clearly felt.”