McDonalds Swim Stadium

The McDonald's Olympic Swim Stadium is an outdoor venue on the campus of the University of Southern California. Its most notable use was during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. McDonald's provided the funding for the stadium specially for the summer Olympics. The venue hosted the swimming, diving, and synchronized swimming competition in the games. The stadium was later used for the 1993 United States National Diving Championships. The United States won 34 total swimming medals in 1984, including 21 gold medals. Athletes from 140 nations around the world participated in the games, many of whom were making their first appearance in the Olympics including Gambia, Bangladesh, the British Virgin Islands, Tonga, and the United Arab Emirates. This was the first Olympics since 1952 to see participation from the People's Republic of China. Many country's boycotted the games due to the Warsaw Pact and pressure from the Soviet Union. Unlike today when competition to host the Olympics often eclipses far more serious national issues, the 1984 Olympics were wanted by only Los Angeles and New York. This was because Montreal had reported financial losses during the 1976 games. The Los Angeles games turned things around and the city saw a profit from hosting. Part of this was because L.A. relied on existing venues, but two new stadiums were built, including the McDonalds Swim Stadium.