LA28 unveils venue plan for largest ever Paralympics
LOS ANGELES :Events for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games will be held in downtown LA, Exposition Park, Venice Beach, Long Beach, Carson and Arcadia under the venue plan released by Games organizers LA28 on Tuesday.
Like the LA Olympics, 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 Center.
"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 release.
Wheelchair basketball will be held at Crypto.com Arena, home of the NBA's LA Lakers, with the U.S. 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 Theater 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 NFL's Rams and Chargers.
Galen Center 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 4,480 athletes across 23 sports.
With every competition taking place within a 35-mile radius, the venue plan seeks to minimize 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 CEO Reynold Hoover.
LA Mayor Karen Bass said the Games would provide an opportunity for LA 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 August 15-27 in 2028.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
This win is for Americans who look like me, says French Open champion Gauff
PARIS : Newly-crowned French Open champion Coco Gauff, the first Black American to win the title in a decade, said on Saturday her victory in Paris was for people back home who looked like her and struggled amid ongoing political turmoil. Gauff battled from a set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5) 6-2 6-4 and lift her first French Open crown and her second Grand Slam title after the 2023 U.S. Open. She is the first Black American to win the French Open since Serena Williams in 2015. "It means a lot (to win the title), and obviously there's a lot going on in our country right now with things - like, everything, yeah. I'm sure you guys know," she said, smiling but without elaborating further. "But just to be able to be a representation of that and a representation of, I guess, people that look like me in America who maybe don't feel as supported during this time period, and so just being that reflection of hope and light for those people." There has been ongoing political turmoil in the United States following the election of President Donald Trump last year. Trump's first few months in office have featured an unapologetic assault on diversity and inclusion efforts, unravelling decades-old policies to remedy historical injustices for marginalised groups in a matter of weeks. In his second term, Trump revoked a landmark 1965 executive order mandating equal employment opportunities for all, slashed environmental actions to protect communities of colour and ordered the gutting of an agency that helped fund minority and women-owned businesses. The actions have alarmed advocates, who say they effectively erase decades of hard-fought progress on levelling the playing field for marginalised communities. "I remember after the election and everything, it kind of felt a down period a little bit and my mom told me during Riyadh (in November 2024) 'just try to win the tournament, just to give something for people to smile for'. "So that's what I was thinking about today when holding that (trophy). "Then seeing the flags in the crowd means a lot. You know, some people may feel some type of way about being patriotic and things like that, but I'm definitely patriotic and proud to be American, and I'm proud to represent the Americans that look like me and people who kind of support the things that I support."
CNA
8 hours ago
- CNA
Italy already fear missing yet another World Cup after Norway nightmare
Italy's World Cup qualification campaign has barely begun and already the country is worried about the shocking possibility of failing to reach the final tournament for a third consecutive time after a humiliating defeat by Norway. Norway already had two wins under their belt in Group I before Friday's match in Oslo, while Italy had yet to play, having been involved in the Nations League quarter-finals in March, losing out to Germany. A 2-1 defeat at the San Siro in the first leg left Italy chasing the tie in Germany and they found themselves 3-0 down at the break before staging a second-half comeback to salvage a draw, and some pride. It was the same story on Friday for Italy at the Ullevaal Stadium, at least as far as the opening act went. Norway roared into a 3-0 lead in the first half but this time there was no Italian fightback in a goalless second half. "Enough!" screamed the Gazzetta dello Sport front page on Saturday, after Italy suffered their third loss in a four-game winless run, with the newspaper adding that for Italy the "World Cup is already at risk". Next year's World Cup takes place in the United States, Canada and Mexico but in the two decades since Italy won the tournament for the fourth time, they have struggled to perform or, more recently, to even get there. Berlin 2006 seems a lifetime ago now, with Zinedine Zidane sent off for his head butt to Marco Materazzi's chest and Italy lifting the trophy after a penalty shootout win over France. The next two World Cups saw Italy exit at the group stage, and while they triumphed at Euro 2020, on either side of that success they missed out on the World Cup after playoff defeats to Sweden and North Macedonia. With Italy now playing catch-up and only the group winners qualifying automatically, La Repubblica's front-page headline "Azzurri humiliated in Oslo, the playoff nightmare returns" hints at the frightening possibilities ahead. Italy's loss came less than a week after Inter Milan's 5-0 mauling at the hands of Paris St Germain in the Champions League final and on both occasions the tired-looking losers were outclassed by a hungrier, more creative side. Italy manager Luciano Spalletti was spared following last year's dismal Euros but is now under real pressure and nothing but a convincing win at home to Moldova on Monday will do, with media and fans increasingly calling for a change of leadership.
CNA
9 hours ago
- CNA
Inter sign Brazilian forward Henrique from Marseille
Inter Milan have signed Brazilian forward Luis Henrique from Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille, the Serie A club announced on Saturday. While the length of the contract and financial details were not disclosed, Italian media reported the 23-year-old had signed until 2030 in a deal valued at 23 million euros ($26.21 million) plus a further 2 million euros in add-ons. Henrique began his career at Botafogo before signing for Marseille in 2020. In 108 appearances for the French club, he has scored 11 goals - nine of which came in the 2024-25 season as Marseille finished second in Ligue 1. Inter, who suffered a 5-0 loss in the Champions League final against Paris St Germain last month and finished second in Serie A behind champions Napoli, are next in action at the Club World Cup. They begin their campaign on June 17 when they take on Mexico's Monterrey in Los Angeles, followed by two games in Seattle against Urawa Red Diamonds and River Plate. ($1 = 0.8777 euros)
