International Olympic Committee Sports Director Kit McConnell has said that Oklahoma’s Canoe Slalom venue for Los Angeles 2028 “embodies” the way that the Olympic Games will look to be staged in future.
Speaking to the International Canoe Federation during the Paris 2024 Olympics, Mr McConnell hailed the Oklahoma project for LA28, insisting it is a “win-win” situation.
The Canoe Slalom Center in Oklahoma City has been chosen as the whitewater venue for the Games in four years’ time
It will also play host to the 2026 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships as excitement builds towards LA28.
“I think the Oklahoma project is one that embodies the way that we are looking at the Games hosting from now on,” said Mr McConnell, when visiting the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium during the Canoe Slalom competition at Paris 2024.
“Using an existing venue with a strong community of canoeing and reaching out to different parts of the country using those existing venues is a really a great model to use.
“I know they are hosting the World Championships in 2026 in the build-up to LA28.
“It is a great pathway towards the Games so full support for that.
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“You have got a really great base to work from for a number of years to build the excitement that we see here in Paris.”
Speaking about the legacy of the Oklahoma venue, Mr McConnell added: “Any use of an existing venue, like we see here in Paris for the Games, elevates experience so for the soft legacy but also the hard legacy in terms of the upgrades that are done that are then left for the legacy of the venue, the community and the sport moving forwarded.
“I think it is a win-win for everyone involved.”
While Canoe Slalom will be held in Oklahoma, Canoe Sprint will be staged in Long Beach, California after the Marine Stadium was selected as the venue.
The stadium hosted rowing events at the 1932 Olympic Games and will do so again in 1928.
Mr McConnell believes the locations of the Canoe Slalom and Canoe Sprint venues strike the right balance.
“It will be a really good balance of using that existing slalom venue in a different part of the country and taking sprint downtown, right by the beach in what is truly a heritage venue from a previous Olympic Games many years ago,” said Mr McConnell.
“I think it is a really good balance for the sport to have the sprint right downtown in the heart of the host city and using the existing venue with an existing community to build on for slalom.
“It’s a great balance to find.”
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