Jocelyn Alo claims 2028 softball players will ‘miss out’ on…

Jocelyn Alo claims 2028 softball players will’miss out’ on Olympic experience in OKC.

On June 21, LA28, the corporation in charge of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, unveiled plans for softball tournaments to be hosted at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. Athletes’ reactions were lukewarm.

Critics of the move noted that softball athletes competing will not have the usual Olympic experience of residing in the Olympic village with the other competitors. Devon Park, formerly known as USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium, has hosted the Women’s College World Series since 1990 and has a capacity of 13,000 people.

Jocelyn Alo, one of the sport’s most well-known and accomplished performers, has finished competing at Athletes Unlimited’s AUX tournament in Wichita, Kansas, and will undoubtedly be a top contender to represent the United States in 2028. Alo, who has never competed in the games, admits she does not know as much about the matter as former Olympians, but she is concerned.

“It’s definitely different,” Alo said The Oklahoman. “I just feel that those athletes, whoever gets chosen, will lose out on the entire Olympic experience. Obviously, we can still say we’re Olympians, but I just feel like we’ll miss out on a lot.”

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In a press statement, LA28 Chairperson and President Casey Wasserman stated that the organization will aim to “deliver an unparalleled experience for athletes and fans in 2028.”

Nicole Mendes, a former OU star who competed for Team Mexico in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, expressed her worries on X following the announcement.

“Part of being an Olympian and the experience is being able to be around other olympians [sic],” Mendes wrote in an email. “The idea that LA is pushing the softball olympics [sic] halfway across the country is absurd. Softball supporters have long claimed that the sport is expanding.

“Well when there’s only one women’s stadium able to hold enough athletes in the country, wouldn’t you think the olympics [sic] would be a perfect opportunity to make one?”

Alo has spent the summer competing with AU’s Savannah Bananas and will play with the US Elite Team in OKC this weekend. She will eventually join the Oklahoma City Spark. However, she is upset that softball will not be included in the 2024 Paris Games.

“It is disappointing that it’s not in 2024,” Alo told the crowd. “But you know what? I’m just glad it’s in 2028. Hopefully, they will begin to take notice of how many spectators softball can attract and stop viewing us as an exhibition sport rather than an annual sport. Softball lovers are everywhere. They simply need to appreciate the game a little more.”

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When Olympic softball returns to Oklahoma City in 2028, gold medals will still be awarded.

However, for some, the choice to relocate softball away from Los Angeles, where the majority of competitions will take place, serves as a reminder of how far the sport still has to go.

“It’s good that it’s at Devon Park where the World Series is, but I also think that the Olympics is a bigger event than the World Series, too,” Alo told the crowd. “I am definitely indifferent about it. But again, I’m grateful that it will be a competitive sport.

“So all you’ve got to do is bring the gold medal home.”