Olympics-LA28 moves athletics to first week, shifts two events to Oklahoma City

(Reuters) - The canoe slalom and softball competitions for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will be held in Oklahoma City while athletics will shift to the opening week of the global sporting showcase followed by swimming, organisers said on Friday.

The decision to adjust the traditional Olympic schedule for athletics and swimming was approved by both sports' governing bodies, LA28 said in a news release.

The athletics competition will be held at the LA Memorial Coliseum, making it the only venue in history to host athletics in three Olympic Games.

Swimming will be held at the shared home of the National Football League's Rams and Chargers, which will become the largest swimming venue in Olympic history, with 38,000 seats.

LA28 said the decision to move canoe slalom and softball to Oklahoma City stemmed from a realisation that there were no suitable venues for either sport in Southern California.

"Instead of undertaking additional construction projects to build temporary venues for these sports, LA28 will assign Canoe Slalom and Softball competitions to the world-class venues in Oklahoma City," organisers said in a news release.

According to LA28, the largest softball venue in Southern California seats fewer than 2,000 people, which does not meet the expected demand, and there is no canoe slalom venue in the region.

LA28 also said the decision to use venues in Oklahoma City that were "built to international competition standards" will help reduce the cost of temporary stadium builds while also supporting a balanced budget.

LA28, whose previous venue plan was developed in 2017, said the IOC has since developed policy to encourage organisers to prioritise using existing or temporary venues, even if they are located outside the Host City.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; editing by Barbara Lewis)