In 2028, the
city of Los Angeles will host the Paralympic Games for the first time in its
history. With just over three years to go until the Opening Ceremony, LA28
Organising Committee has unveiled the updated Paralympic venue plan following
approval from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board. The
venue plan of the LA28 Paralympic Games is strategically designed for the needs
of athletes and the respective sport’s field of play requirements – matching
each event with the best venue – while also delivering an exceptional
experience for fans from around the world.
With every
competition venue within a 35-mile radius, the venue plan maximises the use of
premier venues within the Los Angeles area, reduces the overall number of
standalone sites and minimises travel times for athletes staying in the
Paralympic Village. As a result, for the first time since Rio 2016,
Paralympians across every sport will have the opportunity to be housed together
at the Paralympic Village which will be based on UCLA’s campus.
During the
Paralympic Games, the majority of sports and disciplines will be held in the
City of Los Angeles, with Downtown Los Angeles and Exposition Park zones
serving as main hubs for the competitions.
The Convention
Center in Downtown Los Angeles will serve as a multi-sport complex featuring
several dynamic sports including boccia, Para judo, Para table tennis, Para
taekwondo and wheelchair fencing. This multi-sport site will create a vibrant,
high-energy atmosphere where excitement from one competition will flow into the
next. 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.
Adjacent to the
Convention Center in Downtown Los Angeles, the Arena in Downtown Los Angeles
will host wheelchair basketball where the storied venue will make the perfect
backdrop for a high-stakes competition. The nearby Peacock Theater will serve
as the home to goalball in an acoustically optimised setting, showcasing a
field of play unlike anything the sport has seen before.
In 2028, the
iconic LA Memorial Coliseum will deepen its Games legacy by hosting Para
athletics events. The LA Memorial Coliseum will also host the Closing Ceremony
on 27 August, 2028. On the other side of campus, the USC Sports Center will
host wheelchair rugby and Para badminton, aligning with LA28’s commitment to
maximise the use of existing world-class facilities.
The iconic
coastal neighborhood of Venice Beach will deliver an exciting line up of events
including Para triathlon and the starting point of Para athletics marathon.
The City of
Carson, a 2028 Venue City, will be the stage for a variety of Paralympic events
within its state-of-the-art sports complex including Para archery at the Fields
in Carson, wheelchair tennis at the Tennis Center and Para cycling – track in
the Velodrome.
The LA28 Games
will mark the Paralympic debut of Para climbing featuring 80 athletes across
four men’s and four women’s events which will be staged in the Convention
Center Lot in Long Beach alongside Para swimming which will be held at the
temporary outdoor aquatics centre. Both events are framed by ocean views which
will bring energy and a striking natural backdrop to these action-packed
competitions held in the 2028 Venue City of Long Beach.
Within the
Convention Center in Long Beach, shooting Para sport will take place in a
purpose-built, temporary indoor range where spectators can witness the ultimate
test of accuracy and control. Adjacent to the Convention Center, the Arena in
Long Beach will stage sitting volleyball, promising a thrilling tournament
experience.
In the near
distance along the Pacific Ocean, a temporary arena will stage blind football
at Alamitos Beach, mimicking the successful Olympic-Paralympic venue share as
seen in previous Games editions with Olympic beach volleyball, maximising the
use of the temporary arena.
Further down the
coastline of Long Beach, Para rowing and Para canoe - sprint events will be
held at Marine Stadium. Finally, Para
equestrian events will take place at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia.
The complete list of Paralympic sports,
disciplines and venues is below.
City of Los Angeles – 2028 Host City
Boccia in the Convention Center in
Downtown Los Angeles
Goalball in Peacock Theater in Downtown
Los Angeles
Para athletics at the LA Memorial
Coliseum
Para badminton in the USC Sports Center
Para judo in the Convention Center in
Downtown Los Angeles
Para athletics marathon in Venice Beach
(starting location)
Para table tennis in the Convention
Center in Downtown Los Angeles
Para taekwondo in the Convention Center
in Downtown Los Angeles
Para triathlon in Venice Beach
Wheelchair Basketball in the Arena in
Downtown Los Angeles
Wheelchair Fencing in the Convention
Center in Downtown Los Angeles
Wheelchair Rugby in the USC Sports
Center
City of Long Beach – 2028 Venue City
Blind football at Alamitos Beach in Long
Beach
Para canoe – sprint at Marine Stadium in
Long Beach
Para climbing at the Convention Center
Lot in Long Beach
Para rowing at Marine Stadium in Long
Beach
Para swimming at the Convention Center
Lot in Long Beach
Shooting Para sport in the Convention
Center in Long Beach
Sitting volleyball in the Arena in Long
Beach
City of Carson – 2028 Venue City
Para archery at the Fields in Carson
Wheelchair tennis at the Tennis Center
in Carson
Para cycling - track at Velodrome in
Carson
City of Arcadia
Para equestrian at Santa Anita Park in
Arcadia
The venue for Para powerlifting, the
start/finish location and course for Para cycling road, along with the course
and finish location for the marathon will be confirmed and announced at a later
date.
The LA28
Paralympic Games will award the most medals in history, marking the largest
medal event programme with the most gender-balanced athlete quota which is
allocated to 45 per cent women across the initial sport program of 22 sports,
up 107 female athlete quotas places since the last edition of the Games.
Overall, the
LA28 Paralympic Games will feature 4,400 Paralympians across 22 sports on the
initial sports program in addition to 80 more athletes competing in Para
climbing which was proposed by LA28 and added to the Paralympic sport programme
by the IPC in June 2024.
In Los Angeles,
six more sports than the last edition of the Paralympic Games will achieve full
gender parity for a record total of 17 sports.
The Paralympic
Games is the world’s third largest sporting event and will take place in Los
Angeles from 15-27 August, 2028.
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