LOS ANGELES — With no shade from the Southern California sun, the 90,000 plastic seats inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum have faded almost to white in some places. The handrails have rusted, and the steps have grown treacherous where concrete has been patched countless times.
Built for the 1932 Olympics, and used again as the host stadium in 1984, the Coliseum stands as a symbol of what a third Summer Games in Los Angeles would offer in 2024.
No matter what repairs are undertaken, this Coliseum will never offer the grandeur of recent Olympic stadiums in London or Beijing.