Read the Letter Oklahoma City’s Mayor Sent Los Angeles’s Mayor About Hosting Olympic Events

Exclusive to Sports Illustrated, here is what OKC mayor David Holt wrote to then L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti in 2018 about staging events in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma City mayor David Holt during the media conference celebrating the 1,000 days until the 2028 Olympics. / DOUG HOKE/THEOKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Olympics, seven medals will be awarded 1,300 miles away. Six events in canoe slalom, along with the Olympic softball tournament, will be hosted in Oklahoma City. Thursday’s Sports Illustrated digital cover details the full backstory of how this came to be.

Within the story, OKC mayor David Holt mentions that after having dinner with then L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti in 2018, he sent an official letter touting the reasons Oklahoma City would make a great host for the canoe slalom events (this was before softball was officially added to the 2028 Olympic program).

The full text of that letter had not previously been made public, but you can now read it below.

Check out the full story for many more details about how Oklahoma City transformed itself from a city whose river didn’t have running water into an Olympic-caliber paddlesports destination. You could argue that no city in the United States has leveraged sports to enhance its identity more than Oklahoma City, the home of the Women’s College World Series and the reigning NBA champion Thunder.

Letter from David Holt to Eric Garcetti

Letter from David Holt to Eric Garcetti

Letter from Mayor David Holt to Eric Garcetti

December 20, 2018
The Honorable Eric Garcetti
Mayor of Los Angeles
200 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA  90012

Dear Mayor Garcetti,

As a stakeholder in the United States Olympic Movement via our Oklahoma River US Olympic and Paralympic Training Site designation, we could not be more excited for the return of the Olympics to Los Angeles in 2028.  LA 1984 remains the gold standard for hosting the Olympic Games and we think LA 2028 will similarly reinvent the modern Olympic Movement and leave a legacy to make all Americans proud.  Bold ideas lead to innovation and we believe we have a powerful, logical, and surprisingly natural way to collaborate that we would like to propose to you and the LA 2028 organizing committee.  This idea reflects a pioneering and creative spirit that is uniquely embedded within both our civic cultures.

The transformation of our former “ditch” that divided our city for decades into the vibrant, unifying landscape now known as the Oklahoma River embodies the Olympic spirit.   This revitalization has continued to flourish thanks to game-changing public and private investments.  These efforts collaboratively created one of the world’s premier urban water sports venues at the crossroads of America that has become an international model for urban riverfront activation.  We believe our $100+ million venue directly linked to LA by Route 66 and direct flights can become a resource to LA 2028, both as a venue to efficiently stage the whitewater slalom events on our existing state-of-the-art RIVERSPORT Rapids, and as a meaningful contributor to the soul and legacy of your Olympic Games.  We would be honored by the opportunity to present a comprehensive proposal that expands upon the following components of a successful OKC-based Olympic whitewater slalom event venue site that gives new meaning to “OKLA”:

Native American culture.  An American-based Olympic Games should embrace our indigenous cultures and an Oklahoma connection can embody and advance this important component via the new $180 million American Indian Cultural Center located adjacent to the Oklahoma River.  An OKC-based LA 2028 event would highlight the paddling culture that is a cornerstone to Native American history within all Olympic paddling events and related programs hosted on RIVERSPORT Rapids and the Oklahoma River.  These concepts and related resources could also be embedded into other elements of the Olympic Games in LA, including the opening and closing ceremonies.

Will Rogers.  “Oklahoma’s favorite son” is also a legend in Hollywood representing a bond between Oklahoma and Los Angeles and a personification of America to the world which can be embraced through the competition and the surrounding events and promotions.

Route 66.  The Main Street of America, the Mother Road, Will Rogers Highway – this iconic road links Oklahoma to LA and could be celebrated in the presentation of the Olympic Games.  A powerful symbolism could be evoked from the hosting of an Olympic water sports event in a place that was once the source of westward migration via Route 66 as a result of the Dust Bowl.  Coincidentally, Route 66 terminates at the Santa Monica Pier and the Oklahoma River now is home to the iconic Ferris wheel previously located on the pier.

The Dodgers.  With the LA Dodgers’ Triple A affiliate located in OKC and within walking distance of the proposed whitewater slalom Olympic venue, OKC already has a direct and embedded relationship with LA that can be further activated in the years leading up to the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

The Venue.  OKC’s $100+ million world class riverfront and whitewater center would relieve a major financial burden on Los Angeles and underscore the commitment to innovation through efficiency.  RIVERSPORT Rapids has already been host to numerous major events, including the US Olympic Trials for whitewater slalom, and is widely regarded as one of the best artificial whitewater venues in the world.  RIVERSPORT Rapids is one of the few venues of its kind in the world located within a downtown area and features expansive staging areas, ample spectator opportunities, and is within walking distance to thousands of hotel rooms.  RIVERSPORT Rapids will see $8 million in publicly-funded enhancements over the next two years, including a large conference and leadership center overlooking the venue, multiple new visitor and spectator amenities, and expanded filtration capabilities to enhance the clarity of the water. 

The Legacy.  Utilization of RIVERSPORT Rapids for the Olympic Games and tying OKC to LA 2028 would electrify existing outreach efforts in Oklahoma City that can be paired with similar efforts along the LA River.  RIVERSPORT programming has transformed the lives of children who never dreamed of the opportunity of getting in a boat. These efforts can be expanded to LA through a multi-year collaborative effort that peaks during the Olympic games and is sustained thereafter.

Transportation.  Our modern and beautiful Will Rogers World Airport, located 10 minutes from the RIVERSPORT Rapids venue, would directly link athletes, officials, fans, and sponsors to the whitewater venue via existing direct flights to and from LA.  Athletes can participate in all LA 2028 festivities and travel to the event site in less time than it would likely take to drive between venues in the LA region. Our new modern streetcar system would greatly enhance the visitor and athlete experience and the RIVERSPORT Rapids venue is directly linked to Downtown Oklahoma City via a three-minute drive down our new Oklahoma City Boulevard.  The Bricktown Canal is also linked to the Boathouse District and provides a beautiful pedestrian link to hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues.   The RIVERSPORT Rapids venue also features water taxi transportation that provides passenger service along the Oklahoma River.  Future plans include a river dock within RIVERSPORT Rapids that will offer easy water taxi links to Bricktown/Downtown Oklahoma City and well as the American Indian Cultural Center.  We also have larger river passenger boats that can transport guests between the hotel and airport corridor and the Boathouse District and Downtown Oklahoma City.

Support and Sponsorship.  “OKLA” will take on a new meaning that will be embraced by the public and sponsors to ensure an event that is flawlessly staged and supported, relieving the LA 2028 organizing committee of a burden while bringing new energy to the LA 2028 effort.  We would apply the same “Oklahoma Standard” to this remarkable opportunity as we do other major events and programs in Oklahoma City that have become national models for success.

Sponsor and Pre-Games Activation.  The Oklahoma River’s Boathouse District and RIVERSPORT Rapids is uniquely suited to provide opportunities to activate sponsors and inspire supporters of the LA 2028 effort by offering special events, leadership development, media activities, and community outreach efforts that can be replicated in LA.  The Boathouse District and Oklahoma River can also be available for camps for (including rowing and canoe/kayak sprint events) in the months and weeks leading up to test events and the Olympic Games.

OKC is already embracing LA 2028 as a partner in the Olympic Movement with a focused effort to inspire and develop the next generation of youth who we hope to see standing on the podium in LA in less than 10 years.  We welcome the ground-breaking opportunity to become a direct partner as an event site and would absolutely commit to an event and surrounding effort that would further ignite the excitement of the Olympic Movement and LA 2028 before, during, and after the Games.  We believe we can become a model for sustainable and influential programming and operations that will continue to change lives well after the last medal is awarded.  We invite the opportunity to expand upon the thoughts and vision surrounding this proposal and are happy to come to LA to visit with the organizing committee.  We also welcome members of the LA organizing committee to OKC to experience our city, world class venue, and hospitality.  Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to continued discussion.

Sincerely,
David Holt
Mayor, City of Oklahoma City

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