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Netherlands Olympic Committee to use Mission Viejo as 2028 U.S. training base; residents ask questions about costs and logistics
Summary
Mayor Reich announced the Netherlands Olympic Committee will base training in Mission Viejo ahead of the 2028 Olympics; residents at public comment pressed the council on who pays living expenses, athlete housing and pool access while council members said the delegation committed $1,000,000 to cover costs and largely paid rooms on its recent visit.
Mayor Reich told the council the Netherlands Olympic Committee has chosen Mission Viejo as a U.S. training home for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and asked residents and community groups to welcome the delegation. "The Dutch will be using Mission Viejo as their home now, as they move towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics," he said.
Several public commenters used the public-comment period to press the city for specifics. Carolyn Gatto asked multiple questions: "Specifically, who will be covering the living expenses of the team members while they are in Mission Viejo? If it's the city, what do those expenses cover? How much money has been spent to date and how much more does the city project spending?" Tom Moore said he supports the team's presence but warned against financial detriment to the city. Council Member Goodell said the delegation "committed to pay 1000000 dollars to cover their costs while they're here" and said they paid for hotel rooms during their visit. Goodell added the city will provide some longer-term transportation support and community events to host the team.
City staff said they will follow up with a fuller report on agreements and expenditures. Council members encouraged residents to participate in events and noted possible impacts to facility schedules, with staff indicating they will try to avoid displacing local programming where possible.
