USA Track & Field announced Wednesday that the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials will be held at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California, denying Eugene and Hayward Field’s bid to host for the fourth consecutive time.
The Olympic trials will take place June 19-28, 2020. The USATF board voted 11-2 in favor of awarding the trials to Mt. San Antonio College. Sacramento, California was the third finalist.
“The board was presented with three excellent options for the 2020 Olympic Trials,” board chair Steve Miller said in a statement on their website. “The board, and especially our active athletes, were clear in their desire to take the Olympic Trials back to Los Angeles. Mt. SAC has long been one of the top meets in the country, from an athlete performance perspective as well as from an organizational perspective. With the stadium upgrades currently planned, we are confident Mt. SAC will provide an extraordinary experience for athletes, fans, officials and volunteers.”
Hayward Field is getting upgraded as well. The iconic stadium will be renovated so it can host the 2021 World Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The 2020 Olympic Trials would have been an opportunity for Hayward Field, Eugene and American athletes to get acquainted with running a large event in the new facilities.
One issue to Eugene’s bid is that there are delays in the renovations. It was supposed to start last summer after the 2016 Olympic Trials, but it has yet to begin. Money is not the issue, according to UO Foundation CEO Paul Weinhold; rather, getting groups to agree on the design is what is holding the renovations back.
Los Angeles hopes the awarding of the Olympic trials is a sign of things to come for the city. It hopes to be awarded the Olympic games in 2024.
“LA 2024 is thrilled to welcome the U.S. Olympic Trials – Track & Field back to Southern California,” LA 2024 CEO Gene Sykes said in a statement. “Mt. San Antonio College’s renovated Hilmer Lodge Stadium will be one of the world’s finest track and field venues and the perfect location to host the nation’s top track and field event in 2020.“
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