For the 1984 Summer Olympics, a total of thirty-one venues were used. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Bowl, two venues previously used for the 1932 Summer Olympics, were used for the 1984 Games. Between the 1932 and the 1984 Summer Olympics, the expansion of professional sports teams assisted in the growth of the facilities that would be used for the 1984 events. Only two new permanent venues were constructed, both using corporate sponsorship, though neither were mentioned in the official Olympic report. Many other venues had temporary adjustments and returned to their normal usage once the 1984 Olympics were completed. Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto and the Rose Bowl later served as venues for the Super Bowl, the FIFA World Cup, and the FIFA Women's World Cup.
Venues Los Angeles
VenueSportsCapacity Ref. Albert Gersten Pavilion Weightlifting 4,1561984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 150-2. Accessed 24 November 2010. Eagle's Nest Arena Judo 4,2001984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 137-9. Accessed 24 November 2010. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Athletics, Ceremonies (opening/ closing) 92,5161984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 72-9. Accessed 24 November 2010. Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Boxing 15,7001984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 105-7. Accessed 24 November 2010. Olympic Swim Stadium Diving, Swimming, Synchronized swimming 16,5001984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 90-2. Accessed 24 November 2010. Pauley Pavilion Gymnastics 12,8291984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 132-4. Accessed 24 November 2010. Streets of Los Angeles Athletics (20 km/ 50 km walk, marathon) —1984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 97-8. Accessed 24 November 2010.
Elsewhere in Southern California
VenueLocationSportsCapacity Ref. Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim Wrestling 7,2001984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 153-5. Accessed 24 November 2010. Artesia Freeway Gardena to Riverside Cycling (road team time trial) — 1984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 113-6. Accessed 24 November 2010. Coto de Caza Coto de Caza Modern pentathlon (fencing, riding, running, shooting) 8,0001984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 140-3. Accessed 24 November 2010. El Dorado Park Long Beach Archery 4,0001984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 94-6. Accessed 24 November 2010. Fairbanks Ranch Country Club Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian (eventing endurance) 50,0001984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 117-22. Accessed 24 November 2010. The Forum Inglewood Basketball 17,5051984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 102-4. Accessed 24 November 2010. Heritage Park Aquatic Center Irvine Modern pentathlon (swimming) 8,000 Lake Casitas Ventura County Canoeing, Rowing 4,6801984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 108-12. Accessed 24 November 2010. Long Beach Arena Long Beach Volleyball 12,0001984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 123-8. Accessed 24 November 2010. Long Beach Convention Center Long Beach Fencing 2,500 Long Beach Shoreline Marina Long Beach Sailing —1984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 156-60. Accessed 24 November 2010. Olympic Velodrome Carson Cycling (track) 8,4001984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 80-2. Accessed 24 November 2010. Prado Regional Park Chino Shooting 5,0001984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 87-9. Accessed 24 November 2010. Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool Malibu Water polo 5,0001984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 147-9. Accessed 24 November 2010. Rose Bowl Pasadena Football (final) 103,3001984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 129-31. Accessed 24 November 2010. Santa Anita Park Arcadia Equestrian 33,5001984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 117-20. Accessed 24 November 2010. Santa Monica College Santa Monica Athletics (marathon start) — Streets of Mission Viejo Cycling (individual road race) — Streets of Santa Monica Athletics (marathon) — Titan Gymnasium Fullerton Handball 3,3001984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 135-6. Accessed 24 November 2010. Weingart Stadium Monterey Park Field hockey 22,0001984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 83-6. Accessed 24 November 2010.
Other venues VenueLocationSportsCapacity Ref. Harvard Stadium Boston, Massachusetts Football 30,323Gocrimson.com profile of Harvard Stadium. Accessed 24 November 2010. Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, Maryland Football 34,000Navysports.com profile of Navy - Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Accessed 24 November 2010. Stanford Stadium Stanford, California Football 85,500Gostanford.com profile of Stanford Stadium. Accessed 24 November 2010.
Demonstration sports VenueSportsCapacity Ref.Dodger Stadium Baseball 56,000 Los Angeles Tennis Center Tennis 5,800
Before the Olympics
When the Summer Olympics came to Los Angeles in 1932, two of the venues that hosted were the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.1932 Summer Olympics official report. pp. 61-8, 74. Accessed 26 November 2010. The former hosted the athletics, equestrian eventing and jumping, field hockey, and gymnastics event while the latter was constructed into a velodrome for track cycling events. In 1973, the Coliseum played host to Super Bowl VII where the Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Redskins 14-7 to go undefeated for the entire 1972 National Football League (NFL) season.Pro-football-reference.com Super Bowl VII Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 14 January 1973 MIA-WAS results. Accessed 26 November 2010. In 1979, the Los Angeles Rams won their seventh straight NFL National Football Conference (NFC) Western Division title, and finally advanced to Super Bowl XIV where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Rose Bowl.Pro-football-reference.com NFL 1979 Los Angeles Rams season results. Accessed 26 November 2010.Pro-football-reference.com Super Bowl XIV Pasadena Rose Bowl 20 January 1980 PIT-LA results. Accessed 26 November 2010. That season would also be the Rams' last season at the Coliseum where they lost their last game there against the New Orleans Saints 29-14.Pro-football-reference.com NFL Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 16 December 1979 NO-LA results. Accessed 26 November 2010. For the 1980 NFL season, the Rams moved to Anaheim Stadium (Angel Stadium of Anaheim since 2004) in Anaheim (southeast of Los Angeles), although they lost their first game there against the Detroit Lions.Pro-football-reference.com Anaheim Stadium 7 September 1980 DET-LA results. Accessed 26 November 2010. The Rams would remain at Anaheim Stadium until the end of the 1994 season when they moved to St. Louis, Missouri where they remained until 2015 before returning to Los Angeles in 2016.Pro-football-reference.com NFL 1994 Los Angeles Rams season results. Accessed 26 November 2010.Pro-football-reference.com NFL 1995 St. Louis Rams season results. Accessed 26 November 2010.Pro-football-reference.com NFL 2010 St. Louis Rams season. Accessed 26 November 2010. Their last game in Anaheim was against the Redskins, losing 24-21.Pro-football-reference.com NFL Anaheim Stadium 24 December 1994 WAS-LAR results. Accessed 26 November 2010. Following the 1981 NFL season, the Coliseum became home for the Oakland Raiders NFL team, where they opened up their 1982 season results with a win over the defending Super Bowl champions San Francisco 49ers 23-17.Pro-football-reference.com NFL Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 12 September 1982 LAD-SF results. Accessed 26 November 2010. The Coliseum since 1923 has continued to play host for the University of Southern California football team and still does as of 2010.USCtrojans.com profile of the football team. Accessed 26 November 2010. The Trojans' cross-town rivals, the UCLA Bruins, shared the Coliseum with Trojans from 1928 to 1981.Sports-reference.com 1928 UCLA Bruins season results. Accessed 26 November 2010.Sports-reference.com 1981 UCLA Bruins season results. Accessed 26 November 2010. In 1982, the Bruins moved to the Rose Bowl where they have remained as of 2020.1982 UCLA Bruins season results. Accessed 26 November 2010.2010 UCLA Bruins season results. Accessed 26 November 2010. Besides Super Bowl XIV, the Rose Bowl hosted Super Bowl XVII where the Redskins avenged their Super Bowl loss to the Dolphins from ten years earlier with a 27-17 victory.Pro-football-reference.com NFL Super Bowl XVII Pasadena Rose Bowl 30 January 1983 WAS-MIA results. Accessed 26 November 2010.
Santa Anita Park opened in 1934. Normally used for Thoroughbred horse racing, the home stretch of the track was converted to house dressage, eventing, and jumping events for the 1984 Summer Games, including stands.
Seven years after the 1932 Summer Games, a Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games (SCCOG) was created in an effort to bring the Summer Olympics back to Los Angeles. The first attempt was for the then-cancelled 1940 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Following World War II, Los Angeles and SCCOG made bids for the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics, losing to eventual winners Helsinki and Melbourne, respectively. The United States Olympic Committee selected Detroit over Los Angeles for the United States's bid for the Summer Olympics between 1960 and 1972 without success. SCCOG did provide assistance to Squaw Valley in the northern part of the state near Lake Tahoe for the 1960 Winter Olympics. Los Angeles first bid for the 1976 Summer Olympics was in 1967, though it had to beat its northern neighbor San Francisco for being the American representative in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) bidding in 1969. Montreal was awarded the 1976 Summer Olympics over Moscow and Los Angeles. New leadership in SCCOG in 1972 along with lessons learned helped Los Angeles in bidding for the 1980 Summer Olympics though this time they would lose out to Moscow for the 1980 Summer Olympics. Los Angeles bid for the 1984 Summer Olympics with a minimal amount of new construction costs and a reliance on corporate sponsorships (unlike Montreal 76 and Moscow 80 that were government funded with high construction costs). Bid studies were done in Los Angeles between 1975 and 1978. The city was awarded the 1984 Games in 1978 by the IOC since they were the sole bidder.1984 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 6-9. Accessed 26 November 2010.
In 1959, the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena was completed.LAColiseumlive.com history of the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. Accessed 26 November 2010. The following year, it hosted the 1960 Democratic National Convention. Following the 1959-60 NBA season, the National Basketball Association (NBA) Lakers franchise would move from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, where they would use the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena from the 1960-61 to the 1966-67 season before they moved to The Forum in Inglewood, a Los Angeles suburb, for the 1967-68 season.Basketball-reference.com NBA 1959-60 Minneapolis Lakers season results. Accessed 26 November 2010.Basketball-reference.com NBA 1960-61 Los Angeles Lakers season results. Accessed 26 November 2010.Basketball-reference.com NBA 1966-67 Los Angeles Lakers season results. Accessed 26 November 2010.Basketball-reference.com NBA 1967-68 Los Angeles Lakers season results. Accessed 26 November 2010. From 1959 to 1964, the Sports Arena served as home for the UCLA Bruins men's basketball team until the Bruins moved to Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus.Grfx.cstv.com history of the UCLA Bruins men's basketball team. Accessed 26 November 2010. The USC Trojans men's basketball team also used the Sports Arena as home.USCTrojans.com 2006-7 USC Trojans media guide. Accessed 26 November 2010.