Every four years, athletes attend the Olympic Trials to qualify to represent the United States of America in the Olympics.
This week, the US Olympic Trials and National Championships are taking place in Acadiana at the Cajundome. Hundreds of boxers from all over the country have come to Lafayette hoping to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
This event is no stranger to the Bayou State, as the 2020 USA Olympic Trials were held in Lake Charles. Following that, the first USA Boxing event out of the COVID-19 pandemic was held in Shreveport.
“Louisiana has been very good to us recently,” said Brian Taylor, Communications and Digital Media Manager for USA Boxing. “Lafayette came forward and put in a bid that we do for all our national tournaments and it was a great bid. Lafayette Travel has been great in helping us the Cajundome is a great venue. Obviously, Louisiana is in the south, so we don’t have to worry about snowstorms or anything like that. It’s also a little bit more centrally located and a lot of our members drive to events. Lafayette is pretty easy to drive to and also easy to fly to, so we just knew it’d be a great location, and couldn’t turn it down.”
Beyond the allure and the magnitude of the event, the economic impact felt by the city looks to be very substantial. For the boxers that advance to the finals of the event, that means staying in a hotel for a week, eating at local restaurants, etc, which directly impacts the economy of the city.
Another big positive of this event for the city is the national exposure. NBC holds the official broadcasting rights to the US Boxing Olympic Trials, which means that millions of households throughout the country will see the Cajundome and the city of Lafayette on their TV screen.
The Cajundome is set up with four boxing rings across the main floor of the arena. Rings 1 and 2 are primarily used for the Olympic Trials portion of the event, while 3 and 4 are used for the National Championships.
Boxers in the Olympic Trials are competing to make the USA Boxing team for Paris, but the National Championships gives people an early look into potential candidates for the 2028 Olympics.
Tickets can be purchased at will call for $10 a day or a week-long pass for $50. For more information, head to www.usaboxing.org and follow them on social media @USABoxing.