Dean Ekeren has the opportunity of a lifetime coming up in 2028. When he first started out his professional career, he may not have foreseen this coming, but the South Dakota native has been working on developing his expertise and experience for LA28 for a long, long time.
Ekeren will be the key coordinator for all aquatic events – including the Olympic 10 km open water swim – at the LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games.
His long-time role as the National Events Director for USA Swimming required his special talents to help organize the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024 USA Swimming Olympic Trials events as well as USA Swimming’s national championships, the U.S. Open, Junior Nationals, and Pan Pacific Championships. Some of those roles required Ekeren to oversee the construction of 50m warm-up and competition pools in various arenas, stadiums, and convention centers across the United States.
But nothing over the course of his career is on the scale of the swimming, water polo, artistic swimming, diving, high diving, and open water events and venues during the LA28 Olympics and Paralympics.
Ekeren will oversee pool swimming that will be held at SoFi Stadium near the LAX International Airport. The stadium, home to the National Football League’s Rams and Chargers teams, will be converted into the largest swimming venue in Olympic history, with a temporary pool installed on the stadium floor to accommodate 40,000 fans.
The Olympic 10 km open water swim will be held in the tranquil waters within the Long Beach Breakwater near Belmont Shore Pier during the first week of the Olympics – while Ekeren’s team will be building the temporary pool after the Opening Ceremonies.
Water polo – which runs the length of the Games – and artistic swimming as well as the Paralympic swimming events will be held at a temporary pool at the Long Beach Aquatics Center located at the parking lot of the Long Beach Convention Center [see image below]. This area is part of a major waterfront Olympic hub, featuring both temporary and permanent facilities for aquatic sports within steps of the Pacific Ocean.
Both diving and high diving will be held at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena, about 30 km from SoFi Stadium. The venue, located next to the Rose Bowl Stadium that will host the quarterfinals, semifinals, and gold medal soccer games.
So Ekeren will be spread thin managing six different aquatic disciplines in four different venues spread over Southern California.
But if anyone can manage such a herculean undertaking, it is Dean Ekeren.
© 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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