More Olympic history to be made in Exposition Park

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KABC) -- Exposition Park is known as the crossroads of the LA community, but in three years, it will once again become the crossroads of the world, as the Olympics make a return to the LA Memorial Coliseum.

"To be able to bring Olympic history and a whole third Olympic games back here is just incredible, we couldn't be happier," said Coliseum spokesperson Marina Fote, who walked us through some of the Coliseum's rich past.

It all started with a huge construction project with big dreams.

"One of the three main reasons that this building was originally even built was so that there would be a place for athletes to compete in a variety of sports in 1932," said Fote.

The stadium was meant to strengthen L.A.'s 1932 Olympic bid, give USC a permanent place for football games, and serve as a World War I memorial. More than 50 years later, it played an important role in the 1984 Olympic bid. And here we are again, more than 4 decades later, with eyes on 2028.

"For the opening and closing ceremonies, the Coliseum will likely have people all over Exposition Park, not just within the Coliseum as well, so it's gonna be a city-wide celebration," she said.

They say they want to involve as many community members as possible.

"We're hearing from so many folks who want to volunteer, how can we help? And they're already asking these questions three years out," she said.

In January of 2028, crews are going to start reconstructing the track, lifting the ground up about 14 to 16 feet, and making it a quarter mile Olympic track. That'll be for opening and closing ceremonies and the athletic events. In the meantime, the LA28 committee continues to come and go, with several site visits, evaluating what needs to be done to be Olympic ready for a third time.

"They're preparing now to sort of start implementing some of the changes that they've pinpointed over those few years," Fote said.