The Olympic Velodrome for the

track cycling Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles. History Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its infancy, it ...

events at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

was located on the campus of

California State University, Dominguez Hills California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH, CSU Dominguez Hills, or Cal State Dominguez Hills) is a public university in Carson, California. It was founded in 1960 and is part of the California State University (CSU) system. In 2020, ...

Carson, California Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated on February 20, 1968, ...

. Constructed between 1981 and 1982, the

velodrome A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement ...

was sponsored by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

convenience store A convenience store, convenience shop, corner store or corner shop is a small retail business that stocks a range of everyday items such as coffee, groceries, snack foods, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery ti ...

chain

7-Eleven 7-Eleven, Inc., stylized as 7-ELEVE, is a multinational chain of retail convenience stores, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. A ...

. The 333.3 meter long track was demolished in 2003 and replaced by the

ADT Event Center Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignity ...

in 2004, now known as the

VELO Sports Center The VELO Sports Center is a velodrome located in Carson, California, United States. It is currently the only cycling track of its kind located in the United States. Formerly known as the ADT Event Center or LA Velodrome, it opened in 2004 on the ...

, which remains the only Olympic-standard velodrome in the United States. The ADT center was built to the south of where the Olympic Velodrome had been.

Dignity Health Sports Park Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignity ...

soccer stadium (formerly Home Depot Center and StubHub Center) is situated where the velodrome once stood.

History

On 4 February 1981 California State University Dominguez Hills was selected as the site of the Olympic velodrome. CSU Dominguez Hills President Don Gerth was eager to include the university in the ’84 Olympics. When Olympic Organizing Committee Chair Peter Ueberroth asked Gerth if he would like to have the Olympic velodrome, he replied, “We’ll take it. What’s a velodrome? ” On 9 July 1981 construction began on the Olympic velodrome, and it was completed on time and under budget prior to the 8 July 1982 dedication and 7-Eleven/Bicycling Magazine Grand Prix on July 9-10th, 1982. The 7-Eleven velodrome was one of only three permanent facilities built specifically for the 1984 Olympic Games. The track was in length, wide, banked at 33 degrees in the turns, 9 degrees on the straights, and was made of concrete. Prior to the Games, the track experienced small hairline cracks. These were fixed by an epoxy injection system and series of grinding to reduce bumps common to concrete tracks, and the track was coated with polyurethane prior to the Olympics for the fastest possible surface. Riders said the track was “smooth but sticky." Permanent stands were built to accommodate 2,000 spectators, but with temporary seating additions capacity for the Games was between 6,400 and 8,000. The Los Angeles developer and contractor Stolte Inc. built the velodrome for $3 million. Prior to the Games, the Olympic velodrome was one of the most requested venues for tours. The 1984 Games was perhaps the most successful in

USA Cycling USA Cycling or USAC, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the national governing body for bicycle racing in the United States. It covers the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclo-cross, and BMX across all ages and ability level ...

history. It was also the first Olympics to have Women's Cycling. The LAOOC petitioned for Women's Individual Sprint and Pursuit events, but the requests were denied by the IOC. Connie Carpenter-Phinney and Rebecca Twigg took the Gold and Silver Medals in the 45 women field in the Individual road race, the first in Olympic history. On the track,

Mark Gorski Mark Brian Gorski (born January 6, 1960) is a 1984 Olympic Gold medal-winning cyclist in the 1000m match sprint from the United States. He attended Lake Park High School in Roselle, Illinois and the University of Michigan. Gorski was a member ...

won the Individual Sprint Gold over ‘The Cheetah’

Nelson Vails Nelson Beasley Vails (born October 13, 1960) is a retired road and track cyclist from the United States. He rode as a professional from 1988 to 1995 representing the US at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, where he became the ...

in the all USA Final, and

Steve Hegg Steve Edward Hegg (born December 3, 1963) is a retired track cyclist and road bicycle racer from the United States, who was a professional rider from 1988 to 2000. He represented the US at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, wh ...

won the 4000m Individual Pursuit. Altogether the US won a record 9 medals in cycling events.

References

1984 Summer Olympics official report.
Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 80–2.
Carson, CA profile of the 1984 velodrome.
{{Authority control Velodromes in California Demolished buildings and structures in Los Angeles Demolished sports venues in California Defunct indoor arenas in California Defunct sports venues in California California State University, Dominguez Hills Carson, California Venues of the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic cycling venues Sports venues in Carson, California Sports venues completed in 1982 Sports venues demolished in 2003 1982 establishments in California 2003 disestablishments in California