OKC could see more than 200,000 tickets sold during 2028 Olympic softball and canoeing runs

Oklahoma City is preparing to see more than 200,000 tickets sold when the city hosts the 2028 Olympic softball and canoeing competitions.

At a news conference Thursday, Mayor David Holt cautioned the deal with Olympics organizers LA28 won’t be complete until it is voted on by the Los Angeles City Council, adding that the vote may not take place for another two months.

“There is still a process remaining. The Los Angeles City Council is still considering aspects of this proposal and we are deeply respectful of their work. I serve on a city council as well, so I have great empathy and respect for their process," he said. "They deserve all the space they need to evaluate LA28’s plan.”

Holt said the discussions with Los Angeles dates back six years to when he met then-Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and was introduced to LA28 chair Casey Wasserman. Holt thanked the slalom canoeing governing body and USA Softball director Craig Cress.

“Craig and his team worked very hard to return softball to the Olympics and it is as much their vision as anyone’s that it be staged here in the softball capital of the world,” Holt said.

Oklahoma City to host 2028 Olympic events to prevent waste, hardships

Oklahoma City can host softball and canoeing due to rule changes by the International Olympic Committee in response to economic hardships and venues that went to waste when the games ended.

The 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens was blamed for helping fuel a yearslong economic crisis in Greece. Montreal, Canada, was reportedly in debt for 30 years after the 1976 Summer Olympics. A $2.6 billion loss was reported in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after it hosted the 2016 summer games.

Venues built for the Olympics and then abandoned include an Olympic aquatics stadium in Rio de Janeiro; a beach volleyball stadium in Beijing, China; an Olympic baseball stadium in Athens; a bobsled track in Sarajevo, Bosnia; and a swimming pool built for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany.

Wasserman said during the announcement of plans to host softball and canoeing in Oklahoma City that the city's softball stadium and Riversport Rapids are "second to none" with no comparable venues in California.

More: Mussatto: OKC reaffirms standing as Softball Capital of the World with Olympics on way

“Ultimately, we are here because LA28 and the Olympic movement prioritized venue sustainability,” Holt said. “We have two specific venues they do not. We have those two venues because residents committed to them with their votes and their tax dollars.”

Holt said he expects philanthropists and other supporters will share in the cost of hosting the 2028 games in Oklahoma City.

“We think whatever cost there is will be far offset by the economic activity created by the events but also the elevation of the community that will occur as a result of this,” Holt said. “It will be a legacy that will continue for decades to come."

More: When the Olympics come to town in 2028, visitors will see a city continuing to evolve

Teresa Rose, chair of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, emphasized the games are going to be branded as LA28 and they will not be detached from what is happening with the host city.

She said the chamber’s initial analysis indicates 200,000 tickets will be sold over the two weeks the games take place in Oklahoma City. She said the games are expected to draw an estimated 300 athletes.

Responding to concerns voiced by some softball athletes, Holt said he believes Oklahoma City will prove itself worthy of hosting the games.

“This city is going to be electric in the summer of 2028. The way this city will embrace these events will not just be shown at these venues but throughout the city. We envision a festival across the city. We will deliver the type of experience they would have experienced in Los Angeles.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC could see more than 200,000 tickets sold during 2028 Olympic softball and canoeing runs