Olympic Diving Trials Awarded to Indianapolis
A trio of USA Diving events with high-level implications will be coming to the recently-renovated IU Natatorium in Indianapolis over the next few years. They include the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team trails to determine the team that will compete in Tokyo and events in 2019 and 2021. Indiana Sports Corp. President Ryan Vaughn estimates the 2016 Olympic diving trials, also held at the venue on the IUPUI campus, had a $2 million economic impact and a national and global media exposure "value proposition" that is difficult to replicate.
Vaughn adds the venue and the city make it "a special place to host events." The Natatorium was built in 1982 and has held a total of 13 Olympic team trials. The 2020 event, which will take place June 13-21 that year, will be the seventh trial for diving held at the venue. In 2016, some 20 hours of television coverage was devoted to the trials, including six in prime time, but Vaughn says the impact didn’t end there. "Fast-forward to the Olympics and (members of the media) constantly referencing the performances that happened ‘in the trials’ or ‘from Indianapolis,’ and so it’s a great opportunity to put Indianapolis on a global stage," he said.
“We’re excited to partner with Indiana Sports Corp over the next three years. Indianapolis has a strong diving history, and having three key events here will provide great opportunities for our athletes and sport,” said Lee Johnson, USA Diving CEO. “Our 2019 national championships will provide divers a chance to compete in the same facility where they will aim to qualify for the Olympic Games a year later. Our junior divers also will have an opportunity to compete in the historic pool in 2021, providing motivation for those athletes as they look toward 2024 and 2028.”
The USA Diving Senior National Championships will be May 16-26, 2019, the U.S. Olympic Team Trials will be June 13-21, 2020, and the USA Diving Junior National Championships will be July 29-August 4, 2021.
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Indiana Sports Corp. President Ryan Vaughn adds the venue and the city make it “a special place to host events.”