A Pasadena nonprofit aquatics center built with LA84 Foundation funding and opened in 1990 will host Olympic diving when the Games return to Los Angeles in 2028 — and planned facility upgrades for that role, including a new diving tower and upgraded pools, are expected to remain after the Games.
The Rose Bowl Aquatics Center’s Olympic role, and its plans and challenges surrounding it, will be outlined by executive director Melanie Sauer in an information presentation to the City of Pasadena Senior Commission on Tuesday, July 14, at the Jackie Robinson Community Center.
According to materials prepared for the presentation, the 2028 diving role is tied to facilities built with legacy funding from the LA84 Foundation, private donors and the City of Pasadena. The nonprofit was founded in 1989 with LA84 funding and opened in 1990, and sits in the heart of the Arroyo, east of the Rose Bowl Stadium.
The materials also outline challenges the center says it is working to overcome, including pool space and parking, staff retention, gap funding for operations, and funding for building and locker room improvements, along with facility upgrades such as a new diving tower and upgraded pools expected to remain after the Games.
The Senior Commission is a strictly advisory body that counsels the Pasadena City Council on the needs, concerns and quality of life of older residents. It holds no independent authority, and any recommendations it develops from the presentation would be forwarded to the City Council, which retains final decision-making power.
Beyond the Olympic role, the presentation describes a facility deeply embedded in daily Pasadena life. In 2025, according to the materials, the center taught more than 123,000 swim lessons, recorded more than 400,000 visits, and provided more than 16,000 swim lessons to Pasadena Unified School District students. It also awarded more than $188,000 in financial assistance across more than 1,000 approved applications. Financial assistance covers 75% of program costs for Pasadena residents and 50% for other qualifying participants.
The center’s programs would be of direct interest to older Pasadena residents. The presentation describes a water safety program run in partnership with the Pasadena Unified School District; swim lessons for all ages from infants to adults; water and dryland fitness classes; daily lap swim; independent therapy pool use; summer camps; and Red Cross training in lifeguarding, CPR, AED, first aid and water safety instruction. Adaptive swim lessons are also offered.
Competitively, the center fields teams totaling more than 1,100 athletes across swim, water polo, dive, masters and its Rays team, according to the presentation.
The facility itself includes administrative offices, locker rooms, family changing rooms, a small fitness center, an aquatic shop, dining and extensive parking, along with two 50-meter competitive and recreational pools, one therapy pool and two hot tubs.
The Senior Commission is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, at the Jackie Robinson Community Center, 1020 North Fair Oaks Avenue, in Pasadena. For more information call (626) 744-7311 or visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/agendas/.
Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.
Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.
