Coliseum officially set to make history co-hosting 2028 Olympic opening ceremony

During the near decade since L.A. was awarded the 2028 Olympics, new venues have arrived, proposed venues have fallen through and sports have shuffled, but the centerpiece of the ever-evolving plan has always been clear.

The Coliseum.

The iconic stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, LA28 announced Thursday, officially locking in the organizing committee’s proposal. While the Coliseum will become the first venue to host three Olympic events, the 2028 Games will also showcase one of the region’s newest cornerstones by using SoFi Stadium as a second venue for the Olympic opening ceremony and to host the opening ceremony for the Paralympic Games.

The dual-venue opening ceremony is a first for the Olympic Games, following another unprecedented format in Paris where athletes paraded down the Seine in boats.

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“The venues selected for the 2028 opening and closing ceremonies will highlight Los Angeles’s rich sporting history and cutting-edge future, showcasing the very best that L.A. has to offer on the world stage,” LA28 president Casey Wasserman said in a statement. “These two extraordinary venues will create an unforgettable experience, welcoming fans from across the globe to an Olympic and Paralympic Games like never before.”

The Olympics will open on July 14, 2028 and close on July 30, while the Paralympics — the first to be hosted in L.A. — run from Aug. 15-27.

SoFi Stadium was one year into construction when L.A. was awarded the Games in 2017. The home of the Rams and Chargers will also host the Olympic swimming competition that was shifted to the second week of the Games while track and field at the Coliseum will take place during the first week.