Oklahoma City selected to host 2028 Olympic canoe slalom, softball

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Oklahoma City has officially been selected to host the canoe slalom and softball events for the 2028 Olympic Games.

While Los Angeles will be the official host of the 2028 Olympics, southern California does not have a canoe slalom venue, and the largest softball venue in the region seats fewer than 2,000 people.

Rather than constructing temporary venues in southern California for the two events, LA28 assigned the events to Oklahoma City, citing the city's world-class venues built to international competition standards.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt shared the his thoughts on 'X,' formerly known as Twitter, early Friday afternoon.

Today I can confirm that for the past six years, we have been working closely with leaders from LA28 and the City of Los Angeles to develop a plan to support L.A.’s delivery of the 2028 summer Olympics by hosting all Canoe Slalom and Women’s Softball events in Oklahoma City.

As this journey progressed, I have been joined in this endeavor by the City of Oklahoma City’s senior management team, as well as the leadership of Riversport OKC, USA Softball, and most critically, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, who have taken the lead this past year in finalizing the details of our community’s support for the 2028 summer Olympics.

Oklahoma City has hosted many international competitions at our unique, world-class whitewater and softball venues. We are confident we will be an outstanding partner to LA28 in creating a dynamic environment for Olympians and fans.

We are excited about the opportunity to support one of America’s great global cities, Los Angeles, and work closely with the LA28 organizing committee to ensure that the 2028 Olympic Games are a success.

As the City of Los Angeles and the International Olympic Committee Executive Board consider LA28’s updated venue plan, this is the information appropriate to share today.

The full story of this historic journey is one I look forward to sharing in the future, and there will be many important people I look forward to honoring. In the meantime, I thank our friends in Los Angeles for their partnership that has brought us to this point.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt