Athletics - U.S. 2020 Olympic trials to be held in LA area

(Reuters) - The U.S. 2020 Olympic athletics trials will be held in the Los Angeles area, with Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) in Walnut, California, hosting the 10-day event, USA Track & Field (USATF) announced on Wednesday. USATF's board of directors voted to award the trials scheduled for June 19-28, 2020, to Mt. SAC over other bids made by Eugene, Oregon and Sacramento, California. Los Angeles is one of two bid cities to host the 2024 Summer Games, along with Paris. Mt. SAC is in the midst of a $62 million upgrade to its Hilmer Lodge Stadium, which hosted the 1968 U.S. Olympic women's track and field trials, that will enable the venue to expand its seating capacity to more than 21,000. Twenty world records have been set on the fast track at the stadium, which has hosted the Mt. SAC Relays each April since 1959. Los Angeles last hosted the Olympic trials in 1984, prior to staging the Summer Olympics in the same year. "LA 2024 is thrilled to welcome the U.S. Olympic Trials - Track & Field back to Southern California," LA 2024 CEO Gene Sykes said in a statement. "We also hope the trials will be a preview of more Olympic-quality track and field competition returning in Los Angeles in 2024." (Reporting by Larry Fine in New York, editing by Pritha Sarkar)