The city of Los Angeles has hosted the Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984. With their dedication to the bid for the 2024 Games, they are looking to bring the Olympics back to the U.S. for the first time since Atlanta 1996.
If Los Angeles were to host the Olympics, they have set out a bid for The Honda Center in Anaheim to play host for indoor volleyball. The venue is home to the Anaheim Ducks hockey team. The volleyball competition was originally going to be held at Pauley Pavilion, until the FIVB made a request to change the venue.
The FIVB preferred the Honda Center for a number of reasons, one being Orange County’s rich volleyball history.
“They preferred Honda for a number of different reasons. One, I think the size, the seating capacity, the hospitality opportunities they they had at Honda,” said LA 2024 sports director Doug Arnot. “They felt that it was a better environment overall for volleyball. And quite frankly the fact that Orange County is at the epicenter for volleyball in the United States was another compelling reason to consider Honda. They know they’ll have a great, friendly crowd there.”
With the FIVB so interested in the Honda Center, LA 2024 chief executive Gene Sykes added that they will become an ally in their bidding process, making it an important part of their bid strategy.
The Honda center is about to seat more that 18,000 fans, while being only 10 minutes away from Disneyland. The facility is also located next to the Anaheim rail station with regional trains connecting Downtown Los Angeles in 40 minutes. To drive from Honda Center to either UCLA’s Olympic and Paralympic Villages would take around 55 minutes.
Honda Center President and CEO Tim Ryan said, “Los Angeles is the right choice as host city and (Honda is) excited to now officially be in partnership with them to being world-class Olympic athletics back to our area.”
The International Olympic Committee will vote on the host city on September 13, 2017 in Lima, Peru.
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