Indianapolis already looking toward 2028 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials – Inside INdiana Business

Indianapolis continues to gear up to host the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium—the first time the event has been held at an NFL stadium. But officials already have their eyes set on the trials for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

“We want to be a part of the Olympic movement going into LA in ’28,” said Indiana Sports Corp President Patrick Talty. “We think that it would make all the sense in the world for us to be a part of that movement.”

Speaking on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, Talty said the process to secure the 2028 trials begins now, just like the effort for this year’s event, which began four years ago.

“This bid was actually done during the pandemic. So in June and July of 2020, we were in our offices, masked up, six feet apart actually putting this together,” said Talty. “We had to think, ‘How do we put the full package together? What are sporting events going to look like, and what can we do unique for the swimming trials?’ We felt like we could take it to the next level. We could set a new bar for what the Olympics will be trials could be in other cities.”

Indianapolis competed against three other finalist cities, including Omaha, Nebraska, which had hosted the trials since 2004, as well as Minneapolis and St. Louis. Talty said the pitch to host the event in Lucas Oil Stadium was intriguing.

“We were thinking, how do we put it in the biggest venue with the most accessibility for the fans to be able to to attend and get to experience it? Because in Omaha, unfortunately, the seating kind of limited how many people could come, and they were selling out very quickly. So, we thought NFL stadium is the best place for that.”

Talty credits downtown Indy’s walkability and the state’s “Hoosier hospitality” as two key reasons why the city continues to land big events like the swim trials. But he said the collaboration in the city is another crucial part of it.

“Our ability to come together to create, to accomplish great things is like no other city. I’ve lived in other cities. I’ve hosted events in other cities, and our ability to come together no matter what walk of life, no matter where we’ve come from, no matter what side of the aisle we’re on, we come together and we accomplish those great things in Indy.”

While this year’s swim trials begin on Saturday, running through June 23, Talty said he’s looking toward making a bid for the 2028 event.

“We should absolutely do it,” he said. “Now, I think the one thing I would say is we need people to come out. We need people to experience this. And we need people to show swimming that central Indiana cares about the Olympic movement, and filling this venue would go a long way with that.”

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