Previously, the city hosted rowing at the Long Beach Marine Stadium in the 1932 Olympics and in the 1984 Olympics hosted archery at El Dorado Park, fencing at the Long Beach Convention Center, volleyball at the Long Beach Arena and sailing at the Long Beach Shoreline Marina.
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Los Angeles’ Rivieira Country Club, which staged the 1983 and 1995 PGA Championship and the US Open in 1998, has also been added as the prospective golf venue should the sport retain its Olympic status post Tokyo 2020.
Plenty of venues to choose from.
The committee also added another Southern California neighbor Thursday with its proposal to host volleyball at The Honda Center in Anaheim.
“Obviously Riviera is a world-class course”, said Casey Wasserman, the group’s chairman.
Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi on Wednesday rejected her city’s bid, although her motion to withdraw the bid would have to be approved by Rome’s city assembly.
Both USOC and LA 2024 officials have described the relationship between the two groups as more of a partnership than previous US bids. The course has hosted the U.S. Open, two PGA Championships and the annual PGA tournament since it opened in 1929.
Anaheim’s Honda Center, home of the National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks, would host volleyball.
If the Olympic Games return to Southern California for the first time in 40 years, Long Beach would have its own Olympic sports park on the downtown waterfront, with the Pacific Ocean serving as a venue for three events – marathon swimming, sailing and the triathlon – and the Long Beach Arena and adjacent parking lot (where temporary facilities would be built) would host the other three – BMX, team handball and water polo.
The 2024 Olympics will be awarded next September, with Los Angeles and Paris considered the top contenders. “So we just made the decision that sooner was better than later”. “By relying on Southern California’s wealth of top sports, housing and transportation infrastructure, LA 2024 will minimize construction risk, operational struggles and costs, and can focus on providing athletes with the flawless stage to perform their best, without distraction”.
“We had wonderful interactions with the leaders of the Rome bid committee”, said Wasserman. We are committed to ensuring that the Games provide an economic benefit to our hotels, tourism industry, neighborhoods and our entire community.
The Riviera Country Club Corporate Officer Michael R. Yamaki said: “We are honored and thrilled to be selected by LA 2024 for the opportunity to host the world’s greatest golfers”.
The agreement will be submitted to the International Olympic Committee on October 7 as part of Stage II biding documents.
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These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.
