SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - San Diego's Fairbanks Ranch Country Club is celebrating its Olympic legacy as the San Diego prepares to host soccer games for the 2028 Olympics.
I visited the sprawling country club, which remains the last site in San Diego to host an Olympic event. More than four decades after hosting a four-day endurance equestrian competition during the 1984 Olympics, the venue is preparing a tribute to commemorate that historic moment.
"Our membership still talks about it to this day," said Cody Layton, Senior Vice President of Golf Operations at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club. "They describe the day as electric, and a day they'll never forget."
The 1984 equestrian competition drew tens of thousands of spectators to the property, featuring some 40 jumps across an 11-mile track. Refurbished jumps from that Olympic event still adorn parts of the country club today.
The venue's selection for the Olympics had a unique origin story involving English royalty. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who served as head of the International Equestrian Federation, was instrumental in bringing the event to Fairbanks Ranch due to its proximity to the Del Mar Race Track.
ABC 10News covered the competition extensively in 1984, including a black-tie event attended by VIPs like actor Cary Grant the day before the competition began. The newly constructed golf course captured global attention during those four days.
"The fact that all eyes in the world were on Fairbanks Ranch Country Club at that moment - that is cool," Layton said.
The Olympic connection continues to benefit the country club today. As a former Olympic venue, Fairbanks Ranch is allowed to fly the Olympic flag and display the Olympic rings.
"It's in the membership pitch. It's a good pitch," Layton said about using the Olympic history in membership recruitment.
With San Diego's announcement as a host city for 2028 Olympic soccer games, the country club decided to create a photo display from the 1984 event, which will debut in the coming weeks.
"The energy from then still resonates," Layton said. "I think the best part about it, we're still talking about it 40 years later."
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