Dutch NOC selects Mission Viejo as LA Pre-Games Training Partner
Mission Viejo has been selected as the Netherlands Olympic Committee’s (TeamNL) primary pre-games training site for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games, the City of Mission Viejo and TeamNL announced today.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our community to be able to support athletes and coaches from TeamNL prior to their respective LA28 Games,” said Mayor Trish Kelley. “Mission Viejo has a long history of supporting Olympians and Paralympians from around the world, and we believe our world-class facilities will properly prepare TeamNL for LA28.”
The announcement was made today during the Paris Olympic Games in TeamNL’s Hospitality House and is a result of TeamNL completing two site inspection visits to Mission Viejo over the past two years.
“We are extremely grateful to Mission Viejo and the City’s willingness to support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes prior to the LA Games,” said André Cats, Technical and Games Director TeamNL. “Our staff and coaches have certainly been impressed with the resources the City is able to offer in order to make it a successful training experience for our delegations prior to the 2028 Games.”
As a nation, TeamNL has won nearly 500 Olympic medals including 36 medals at the recent Tokyo Games where the team finished seventh (7th) overall in the final country medal standings.
“We are beyond excited to be able to host TeamNL and are looking forward to the impact the team’s presence will have on our community particularly our children and young adults that will last a lifetime,” said Mission Viejo City Councilman, Chair of the City’s Sport and Economic Tourism Committee and Double Olympic Gold Medalist Brian Goodell. “This will add to Mission Viejo’s rich Olympic legacy from the 1984 Games and will create opportunities for our citizens to build lasting relationships with the Olympic movement.”
Primary sports training in which the Dutch will train in Mission Viejo and surrounding communities include athletics, swimming and possible team sports like handball and volleyball. The final selection of sports will be confirmed at a later date.
Specific training dates are to be determined with the focus on TeamNL conducting training camps as early as 2026 and then again in 2028 weeks prior to the respective Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“The culture and training environment Mission Viejo and its community partners have to offer will undoubtably make a difference for our teams as they make Mission Viejo their home away from home,” André Cats said. “We are sincerely grateful to Mayor Kelley, Chair Goodell and the entire Mission Viejo City Council.”
For further information regarding Mission Viejo, contact Mark Nix at MVsports@cityofmissionviejo.org or visit missionviejosports.com.
For more information regarding the Netherlands Olympic Committee, contact @Lieselot Meelker or +31683485716.
Comments
How much is this costing? It…
How much is this costing? It looks like MV residents and taxpayers are paying for intercontinental trips for Mr. Goodell and others. Some of those costs may be paid by others, but a substantial amount is paid by MV taxpayers. Exactly how much is MV paying for South American and European trips and other promotional activities? How much are the Dutch or others paying MV? What expenses do we anticipate paying to maintain and staff athletic facilities and other City facilities used by non-resident Olympians? How is it not unethical or perhaps illegal self-dealing for two of the four Council members who voted to spend the MV taxpayers to spend funds to fly two Council members and a City employee to the Paris Olympics when those two Council members were the direct, personal beneficiaries of their votes? Had they recused themselves, there would not have been three favorable votes or an approval of the taxpayer funds for their vacation at the Paris Olympics.
Why is our city government…
Why is our city government wasting taxpayer money to send city council members on vacations to Paris and doing deals with a country that sent a convicted child r*p*st to the Olympics?
Brian Goodell is a Nadadores…
Brian Goodell is a Nadadores Master Coach.
Bob Ruesch sits on the Nadadores Board of Directors.
With a taxpayer funded trip to the Olympics, is there a conflict of interest ? Who are they representing? The Nadadores or the Mission Viejo voter?
Nadadores Executive Director Michele Mitchell has already commented on Bob Ruesch"s MVC post: "down the road we will engage volunteers!" Sounds like the Nadadores know more about what is in the MOU than the taxpayers....
I express the same…
I express the same sentiments as the previous comments, especially associating with a government that sends a convicted child r*p*st to represent their nation on the world stage. Yikes...