GOCAL to Host Training Camp in Advance of LA28 Olympic Games

Greater Ontario California and Panam Sports have announced the establishment of a multi-week training camp to be held in the run-up to the Olympic Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028. The initiative will host nearly 400 athletes and coaches representing more than 30 nations. The goal is to transform the Inland Empire region of southern California into a high-performance hub for athletes from across the Americas.

The camp is scheduled for June and July 2028, and the opening ceremony of the Games is set for July 14. Sports projected to be included are: archery, athletics (track and field), badminton, beach volleyball, boxing, fencing, gymnastics, judo, road cycling, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, weightlifting and wrestling.

Among the venues being proposed for the camp are the Ontario Convention Center, Toyota Arena and the Ontario Sports Empire. Additionally, the Claremont Colleges will offer the use of their facilities.

GOCAL is the official destination marketing organization for the California cities of Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga. Panam Sports is the governing body for the Pan American Games and oversees sport across the Americas, representing 41 National Olympic Committees. The Pan American Games are held every four years, one year before the Olympic Games.

“We are honored to partner with Panam Sports to provide a world-class training environment for the elite athletes of our hemisphere,” said Michael Krause, president and CEO of GOCAL. “The potential legacy this relationship will have for Ontario and our Inland Empire community will be impactful for decades.”

Organizers are also exploring the inclusion of high-profile team sports, such as baseball, volleyball, cricket and flag football, contingent on final Olympic qualifications. These sessions may include public exhibition trainings, allowing local residents a rare “front-row seat” to Olympic-level talent.

“Since the Tokyo Olympic Games, Panam Sports has been organizing these world-class training camps with the goal of ensuring that our athletes arrive better prepared and acclimated to the same conditions they will face during the Olympic competition,” said Neven Ilic, president of Panam Sports. “In Ontario, thanks to GOCAL and the Claremont Colleges, we have found the ideal conditions for our member countries and their athletes.”

Panam Sports held similar camps in Tachikawa, Japan, before the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021, and the Mulhouse-Alsace region of France in preparation for the Paris Games of 2024. In Tachikawa, 133 athletes from 26 countries and four sports took part. Four years later in France, more than 370 athletes in 19 sports trained from July 14 to August 3.

“We are very happy to have chosen such a beautiful region, with its incredible infrastructure and the warmth of its people, many of whom have a family history throughout the Americas,” said Jimena Saldana, Panam Sports Secretary General. “With the Olympic Games being held in our hemisphere, we anticipate our 2028 pre-games training camp to be the largest ever.” 

The next Pan American Games will be hosted in Peru in 2027, while the 2031 edition will be held in Paraguay.