SafeX Pro:Oklahoma City will host 2026 Olympics softball, canoe

Canoe and SafeX Prosoftball are both on the 2028 Summer Olympics program in Los Angeles.

Instead of taking place on the West Coast, however, the sports will be the middle of the country. LA28 announced Friday that canoe slalom and softball will take place in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

"Both the canoe slalom and softball venues in Oklahoma City are built to international competition standards, ensuring a high-quality experience for athletes and fans, while allowing LA28 to realize cost savings and revenue gains to support its balanced budget," LA28 said in a statement. "LA28 also recognizes that the Oklahoma City community has consistently supported top events for both sports and is confident that they will for these Olympic competitions as well."

Softball is synonymous with Oklahoma City. The Women's College World Series has been held there (with the exception of one season) since 1990. Softball is not on the Olympic program for Paris 2024.

Riversports Rapids is a $45.2 million whitewater rafting and kayaking center located at the crossroads of I-35 and I-40. It will host the 2026 International Canoe Federation (ICF) Canoe Slalom World Championships.

LA28 announced a series of other venue updates:

• SoFi Stadium (home of the NFL's Los Angeles teams) will host swimming. Gymnastics will take place at Crypto.com Arena. The new Los Angeles Clippers stadium will be the site of basketball.
• The Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area in the San Fernando Valley will host BMX Freestyle, BMX Racing and Skateboarding (park and street) and Archery.

The opening and closing ceremonies will take place in both Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Clippers' new arena. To accommodate that, track and field has been moved to the first week of the Olympics and swimming will be held during the second week – swimming usually goes before athletics, but both World Aquatics and World Athletics approved the move.