The Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 (LA28) has announced plans to move equestrian and para equestrian competitions to an existing purpose-built facility in Temecula, Southern California.
The proposal, part of the recent LA28 Updates Venue Plan for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, puts forward the relocation of equestrian and para equestrian events, previously assigned to the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area, to an existing purpose-built facility in Temecula, Southern California.
The 2028 Venue Plan proposes Galway Downs in Temecula, CA as the Equestrian venue as “The IOC requirement that all three Equestrian disciplines (Jumping, Dressage, Eventing) be organized within the same site rendered many venues unfit, particularly for the Cross Country component of Eventing” and “The only existing venue that can accommodate the requirements of Equestrian, while also reducing the cost and complexity of delivery, is Galway Downs”
"These venue adjustments result in an estimated net benefit of +$26 million, primarily driven by the significant reduction in estimated venue infrastructure expense. In comparison to building an entirely temporary facility at Sepulveda Dam, the existing facilities at Galway Downs can accommodate Equestrian at a much lower cost, and its operator is experienced in hosting large events"
The inclusion of eventing at the same venue as other equestrian disciplines is also an important consideration for the FEI, who has proposed changes to the eventing format to help keep it as an Olympic sport.
"The plan to relocate equestrian competitions to the existing Equestrian Centre in Temecula is a positive development for the sport and the equestrian community," FEI President and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Ingmar De Vos said.
"The FEI has worked closely with the Organising Committee to evaluate and choose a venue capable of hosting all equestrian and para equestrian events with the aim of managing the overall costs and complexity.
“Importantly, the venue can also accommodate Eventing competitions which was a condition of the IOC Executive Board to include this discipline in the programme of the LA28 Olympic Games. The reasoning behind the venue change also fits well with equestrian sport’s sustainability ideals and aims and will create lasting legacies for the local community. With this important announcement we can now start working with LA28 on the field-of-play design and organisation of the equestrian competitions.”
LA28 has submitted these updated venue assignments to the City of Los Angeles, which must approve competitions that move outside of the city’s boundaries from the venue plan submitted during the bid.
The IOC Executive Board has approved these venue assignments for Olympic sports, pending approval from the City of Los Angeles, with a final decision expected in 2025 on events, athlete quota and competition formats for the LA28 Olympic Programme following a review of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 will take place from 14 to 30 July, followed by the Paralympic Games from 15 to 27 August.
The full submission put forward to the City of Los Angeles can be found here
