2020 U.S. Olympic Track And Field Trials Headed To Mt. SAC
The Los Angeles-area location is no stranger to hosting elite events and was the site of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Track & Field.
Today it was announced that the U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Track & Field will return to the Los Angeles area in 2020, and runners will gather at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) in Walnut, Calif., for the 10-day event.
Mt. SAC is no stranger to hosting elite track events and its Hilmer Lodge Stadium is undergoing a $62 million upgrade, expanding to a seating capacity of more than 21,000, slated for completion in 2019. The 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Track & Field are currently slated for June 19–28, 2020. Eugene, Ore., and Sacramento, Calif., also bid for the Trials but ultimately USATF board decided on Mt. SAC with a vote of 11-2.
Hilmer Lodge Stadium was the site of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Track & Field and has since been the location of many historic moments; twenty world records have been set at the stadium and six world records were tied or broken in one night.
“The board was presented with three excellent options for the 2020 Olympic Trials,” board chair Steve Miller said in a press release. “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.”
This announcement is in line with the push by USATF to diversify the locations of its championship meets and their outdoor championships and/or Olympic Trials have been held in Eugene (2012, 2016), Des Moines, Iowa (2013), and Sacramento (2014, 2017), while Portland, Ore., has hosted the 2016 USATF Indoor Championships and World Indoor Championships. Eugene will host the 2021 IAAF World Outdoor Championships, and Boston and Albuquerque, N.M., have hosted the USATF Indoor Championships.
“USATF has been very deliberate and strategic about cultivating relationships with cities and local organizers who are capable of and interested in hosting our largest events,” USATF CEO Max Siegel said in the same release. “The level of interest in the 2020 Olympic Trials is a reflection of that effort. With a strong base of world-class local organizers, our sport will continue to thrive.”