Gold medalist Natasha Watley criticizes LA28 for moving Olympic softball to

Natasha Watley grew up in Irvine, played softball at UCLA, won gold for Team USA 20 years ago. Now living in Los Angeles, she was excited to share her hometown and her sport with the current generation of Olympians.

Until last month, when Olympic organizers announced that the softball games for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics would be played in Oklahoma City.

“To me, it almost felt like a slap in the face,” Watley said. “It’s the easy way out, sending everybody to Oklahoma.”

Watley and Jennie Finch, another 2004 gold medalist, joined Major League Baseball this week as part of the All-Star Game festivities. Finch, who grew up in La Mirada, said she initially found the decision to move the Olympic softball games from Los Angeles “heartbreaking.”

Read more: LA 2028 Summer Olympics Add SoFi Stadium, Intuit Dome to Revamped Venue Plan

According to Watley, the decision would result in softball players missing out on the full Olympic experience.

“I’ve had that experience,” she said, “when I walked into the dining room and saw Michael Phelps with his real medal after he won, when I saw Kobe Bryant and interacted with him.

“It’s the little details of everyday life that they’re going to miss. That makes me so sad. That decision wasn’t about the athletes.”

According to LA28 organizers, softball players should be able to participate in either the opening or closing ceremonies in Los Angeles.

They say it would have cost millions to shrink a major league baseball stadium or add seats to a softball or minor league baseball stadium, even if a stadium could be found that would allow for months of renovations. What’s more, the spending could be dangerous during the Olympics, with taxpayers on the hook for any financial losses.

In Oklahoma City, softball games are played in a 13,000-seat double-decker stadium that is regularly filled during the Women’s College World Series.

“I go back and forth,” Finch said. “But then somewhere I think, ‘Oklahoma City, where else are we going to get 13,000 fans? What other stadium could hold that for softball?’

“We should be going to a baseball stadium and, quite frankly, our game just doesn’t play out the best in a baseball stadium. Dugouts are so far away. Our game is intimate. It’s fast. And a baseball stadium takes all of that away.”

Finch said she would like to see an Olympic softball stadium at UCLA. In the meantime, softball is a demonstration sport, so it could be part of the 2028 Games, but not the 2032 Games.

“I know how Oklahoma can fill a stadium,” she said. “My biggest concern is getting softball back in the Olympics permanently. What gives us a better chance?”

Read more: Olympics give LeBron James another chance to show his Midas qualities

Two Los Angeles City Council members have expressed concerns about the relocation of Olympic events from the city of Los Angeles. Watley said she has discussed the issue with former teammates.

“We are actively in discussions and trying to see if there is a solution,” she said.

Watley said she would appreciate meeting with LA28 officials.

“I’m just trying to protect the athletes,” she said. “If there’s anything that can be done that’s cost effective, then I hope we can make a change.”

Get the day’s best, most interesting, and weirdest stories from the world of sports in LA and beyond in our newsletter, The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is provided by our partners and/or the news agencies. Copyright and Credits go to the news agencies, email [email protected] Follow us WhatsApp verified channel