U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials make case for historic expansion of LA28 swim venue

The GIST: Flexing up to larger venues is the latest women’s sports trend that’s allowed teams and leagues to prove that fandom and demand is often limited by smaller infrastructure. Now, Olympic sports like swimming are dipping their toes in by repurposing NFL stadiums to accommodate thousands of fans. Let’s dive in.

The details: On June 15th, the nine-day U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials kicked off at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. This was the event’s first time being staged on a football field, and the 70K-seat venue allowed the biggest crowd for an indoor swim meet to gather twice, the latest record standing at 22K.

• Then on Friday, LA28’s organizing committee announced that its swimming events will take place at 38K-seater SoFi Stadium, instead of building a temporary venue at USC for 17K fans. This will become the largest Olympic swimming venue ever, beating this summer’s 30K-seater Paris La Defense Arena, the largest indoor events venue in Europe.

The trials: The U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Indianapolis have been an instant success story. USA Swimming CEO Tim Hinchey III said early ticket sales were below expectations, but TV coverage and word-of-mouth (not to mention help from local celebrities) drove interest and helped bring in over 190K total fans so far…and counting.

The trend: Swimming’s popularity is surging beyond just in-person crowds. NBC reported an average Trials viewership of 3.2M, 20% higher than the 2020 Trials during the COVID-19 pandemic. And on the sponsorship side, decorated Olympian Katie Ledecky recently joined Simone Biles as an Athleta ambassador and appears in the brand's 2024 Olympic ad campaign.

• Plus, college phenom Gretchen Walsh — who just set the 50 butterfly world record at the Trials — announced a Sporti swimwear line with sister and fellow Team USA swimmer Alex last month. Like an American.

Zooming out: Flexing up venues has been popular in sports like women’s soccer, basketball, and hockey, but the Olympics allow sports like swimming and track & field to find creative opportunities to capitalize on hype. Several local sponsors jumped into the pool for this year’s Trials, and with an Olympic stage at SoFi, the spotlight will be even bigger and brighter. No need to stay in your lane.