LA 2024 today extended a warm welcome to the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, who played their first home game in their return to the City of Angels at the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum this Sunday in front of a crowd of more than 91,046 passionate fans. Bid leaders hailed the smooth and successful operation of the game, as well as the overwhelming show of support on display from fans, as further evidence of Los Angeles’ ability to host large-scale sporting events seamlessly and safely, while providing a world-class entertainment experience.
Olympic spirit was on display as the Coliseum’s Olympic Cauldron was lit before kickoff by Rams legends, eliciting raucous cheers from the Angeleno fans. In addition, ten decorated US Olympians were honored at the Coliseum's famed peristyle, including LA 2024 Athletes’ Advisory Commission members Dawn Harper-Nelson, Michael Johnson, Cobi Jones and Greg Louganis.
The game against the Seattle Seahawks was the first NFL football game to take place in LA since the Rams moved to St. Louis in 1994 for a 21-year stint that ended when the team announced in January of this year that it would return to the City of Angels. With the addition of the Rams, the greater Los Angeles area is now home to ten professional sports teams, eight NCAA Division I sports programs, and an expansive portfolio of world class sports stadiums and infrastructure. LA has more venues, arenas and stadiums than any other American metropolitan area and has hosted generations of events including two Olympic Games, two FIFA World Cup finals, and seven Super Bowls. This wealth of existing venues and extensive experience of hosting world class events will ensure that if LA has the honor of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024 it will be able to deliver the ultimate experience for athletes and all attendees.
LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman said: "On behalf of LA 2024, I’d like to welcome the Los Angeles Rams back to a city that lives and breathes sport. Today at the iconic LA Memorial Coliseum we witnessed what makes the City of Angels ready to welcome the world for the greatest celebration of sport on the planet - the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Thanks to our ideal, dependable climate, our existing, world-class sporting infrastructure, and our extensive experience hosting large-scale sporting events, LA 2024 is uniquely positioned to deliver a low risk, high tech and sustainable New Games for a new era that provides the best, most personalized athlete experience in history."
The LA Memorial Coliseum, which will host the Rams until 2019, was the venue for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and track and field for the 1932 and 1984 Games, the NFL’s first Super Bowl and currently the USC Trojans football team. The sports cathedral is set to undergo a $270 million renovation funded by USC starting in 2018.
For the LA Memorial Coliseum’s involvement at the 2024 Games, LA 2024 will use leading edge fit-out techniques which will set new standards in cost-efficient temporary transition from football to athletics and back. Warm-up and operations facilities will be housed under the temporary athletics deck, offering maximum convenience for athletes and operational efficiency. LA 2024 will also be able to call on the services of the LA Memorial Coliseum’s experienced event delivery staff, eliminating the need for costly recruitment and training for new staff. The track surface will be removed and the stadium will be returned to USC shortly after the Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony, reducing costs to LA 2024 and minimizing disruption to the collegiate football season.
In 2019, the Rams will move into a new, state-of-the-art, $2.6 billion privately-financed stadium in Inglewood in the Greater Los Angeles area, centrally located 5 kilometers from LAX and 11 kilometers from downtown Los Angeles. The stadium will be covered by a transparent roof and seat 100,000 spectators. The 298-acre property will also contain a performance venue of up to 6,000 seats. The stadium will host the NFL Super Bowl in 2021 and will be an Olympic and Paralympic venue if LA is elected as the 2024 host city.
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