EXCLUSIVE: Swimming Australia’s ‘LA Immersion’ Shatters Tradition in Bold Quest to Defeat USA on Home Turf

In a notable departure from tradition, Swimming Australia has arranged accommodation outside of the athletes’ village for the upcoming Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. This strategic decision forms part of a broader initiative to challenge the dominance of the USA in swimming, particularly on American soil.

Wide World of Sports has learned that Swimming Australia will embark on a two-day trip to the Los Angeles Olympic host city in August, following the Pan Pacific Championships, to partake in what they are calling “LA immersion”.

The national federation’s decision to stay at a hotel away from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)—which serves as the athletes’ village—stems from dissatisfaction with the living conditions at the Paris 2024 village, where issues surrounding transportation, meals, and bedding were prevalent.

While the impressive Dolphins squad will still utilise the village, athletes will have the flexibility to transition to a hotel deemed more conducive to peak performance during critical phases of their competition schedule.

Swimming Australia aims to minimise travel time to SoFi Stadium with this hotel arrangement. Present-day travel times online may not accurately predict conditions during the Games, as some roads will be closed and others may be designed to facilitate more efficient movement for competitors and their entourage.

The designated hotel will include a high-performance area tailored specifically for the Dolphins.

The itinerary for the two-day LA visit, taking place after the Pan Pacific Championships from August 12-15 in Irvine, California, includes an overnight stay at the hotel and excursions to the athletes’ village and SoFi Stadium—a AUD$7.8 billion NFL venue poised to be converted into a swimming arena, promising an unmatched atmosphere for Olympic swimming.

Reports suggest that Australian Olympic Committee president Ian Chesterman and chef de mission Anna Meares will accompany Swimming Australia on this two-day excursion to LA.

The Pan Pacs will feature Australia, the USA, Canada, and Japan and kick off just ten days after the completion of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

The Swimming Australia training camp for the Pan Pacs will be held at the University of California, San Diego, which will also serve as their base for the Olympics in LA.

“We’re effectively celebrating both the Pan Pacs and the Commonwealth Games while also immersing ourselves in the LA experience,” Dolphins head coach Rohan Taylor told Wide World of Sports.

“By the time we return from this August trip, everyone will be two years from the Games, having familiarised themselves with the venue and accommodation, trained in the pool designated for the Olympics, and visited the village and SoFi Stadium, allowing them to gain a comprehensive understanding of the environment.”

“They’ll see for themselves the distance to the pool at SoFi Stadium, gaining valuable insight into the area and the hotel’s facilities.”

The Dolphins selected for the Pan Pacs will make the two-day trip to LA, with Taylor estimating that about 80% of the team poised for the 2028 Olympics will attend.

These athletes will have the opportunity to spend the next two years “visualising” their experiences during the Games, as Taylor stated.

Concerns regarding village life in Paris were voiced by many Australian swimmers when they navigated the media area at the La Défense Arena.

Shayna Jack even shared a photo on Instagram depicting athletes seated on the floor of a bus en route to the pool.

“Bus rides to the pool are jam-packed … it’s a 45-minute journey to the competition pool,” Jack noted.

“There’s no air-conditioning and the windows don’t open. The bus also got lost. What a chaotic start!”

After the Games, Ariarne Titmus told 10’s The Project that athletes were “living in filth”.

“The Olympic village experience is important, and everyone will have the chance to experience that,” Taylor said.

“However, when it comes to competing, athletes will have the option to stay in a more tailored environment.”

Since 1956, Australia has not topped the USA in the Olympic swimming medal tally. The last time this occurred was during the Melbourne Games, when stalwarts such as Murray Rose and Dawn Fraser brought home gold.

Since that notable year, the USA has dominated the swimming medal standings at every Olympics, aside from Moscow 1980, which it boycotted, and Seoul 1988, when East Germany’s state-sponsored doping program skewed the results.

In a tense finish in Paris, Australia narrowly missed out on surpassing the USA in the pool, with the Americans clinching gold in the final event to secure their eighth gold, ahead of the Dolphins.

“Our focus is on how we can elevate our performance and measure up against them since they are the benchmark,” Taylor mentioned.

“It’s about continually improving on our past achievements and identifying actionable steps we can take. Our preparation and approach are what we can truly influence.”