Long Beach Gets ’04 Olympic Trials

An innovative proposal featuring temporary competition and warm-up pools located within steps of the Pacific Ocean helped Long Beach win its bid to play host to the 2004 U.S. Olympic swimming trials.

The event, tentatively scheduled for July 7-14, 2004, will determine the swim team for the Athens Games. It’s expected to draw approximately 1,000 competitors, 400 reporters and 300 coaches, plus athletes’ families and friends and out-of-town visitors. Rich Foster, co-chairman of the bid committee, said preliminary estimates put the economic impact of the competition at $15 million.

The decision was announced Friday by USA Swimming, the sport’s national governing body, at its Aquatic Sports Convention in Dearborn, Mich. Six U.S. cities made initial bids to host the event; Long Beach, San Antonio and Indianapolis emerged as finalists.

“We are convinced that Long Beach is the perfect site for the 2004 Trials and will best serve the interests of our athletes and our sport,” said Chuck Wielgus executive director of USA Swimming.

Long Beach made the bid in conjunction with the L.A. Sports Council. They previously lost a joint bid to play host to the 2005 FINA World Championships, which also include diving and water polo. The 2004 Olympic swim trials will encompass swimming only.

Foster said the Long Beach bid appealed to USA Swimming officials on several levels.

“We have Southern California sizzle, and we’re one of the hotbeds in the U.S. for swimming,” Foster said. “And we have the population base to virtually assure sellout crowds.

“The other thing I think they liked is the outdoor swim complex. Of the three finalists, we were the only ones to propose holding the competition outdoors. The venue in Athens is outdoors, and they liked the idea athletes can get a feel for what it will be like in Athens.”

David Simon, president of the L.A. Sports Council, said the pools probably will be placed between the Convention Center and the beach just north of Shoreline Drive, a site currently occupied by a parking lot. He also said temporary stands for as many as 10,000 spectators can be erected and configured as ticket sales dictate.