Just over three years of work culminates today when athletes pound around the track at Carson's California State University, Dominguez Hills in the inaugural sports competition at the $150 million Home Depot Center.

The 12-event Home Depot Track & Field Invitational begins at noon with a field of three dozen Olympians, a sold-out crowd of 10,000, and a national television audience on ESPN2. The soccer venue's first large-scale event occurs six days later when Major League Soccer's reigning champion, the Los Angeles Galaxy, hosts its nationally televised home opener before an expected capacity crowd of almost 27,000.

Three years is a relatively brief period in which to create a world-class sports venue from scratch. Soccer, tennis, cycling, track and field, and even football - preseason training camp for the National Football League's San Diego Chargers is scheduled from July 25 to Aug. 22 - as well as concerts by the likes of the Dave Matthews Band, will be held there.

No taxpayer money helped finance the 125-acre complex. Anschutz Entertainment Group, owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz with extensive sports holdings that include the Staples Center, footed the bill.