In the on-going saga of where the equestrian events for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games will be held, it has been confirmed that Galway Downs Equestrian Centre will not serve as the equestrian venue for the LA28 Olympic Games.
Galway Downs was previously recommended and approved as the proposed venue by the Los Angeles City Council after changes to the original venue list. On April 9th, following the IOC confirmation of sports and quotas for the 2028 Olympic Games, LA28 officials informed Galway Downs, City of Temecula and Riverside County officials that another venue had been selected.
This had been flagged by FEI President Ingmar de Vos at a press briefing during the recent FEI Sports Forum.
"The choice of venue has not yet been finalised," he advised "The organising committee is taking into account many different aspects, including climate and costs, in accordance with the new Olympic standards for financial restraint."
“There may be other options that do not require the development of a separate Olympic Village. The Organising Committee is finalising its budget by studying various possibilities and a proposal should be submitted to the IOC at the end of March”.
No announcement has yet been made regarding the new venue.
“We are extremely surprised that we were suddenly removed from consideration” said Galway Downs owner Ken Smith “We don’t understand how, based on the March 28th City Council’s vote of approval, that this could happen.
When we started this process more than four years ago, we understood the equestrian venue selection for LA28 would be a highly competitive, evolving process. Being selected as the proposed equestrian venue put Galway Downs and Temecula Valley on the world stage. We’re very proud of that, and we’re just getting started. Galway Downs will continue to host elite national and international competitions as well as additional sporting events."
