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Stadium opening delayed by one year

The NFL franchise's proposed new venue in Inglewood had been due to open in 2019.

The Rams returned to Los Angeles last year after a two-decade stay in St. Louis

The NFL franchise's proposed new venue in Inglewood -- which is also part of Los Angeles's 2024 Olympics bid -- had been due to open in 2019.

But a statement from the Rams said record-breaking rain in Los Angeles in recent months had set back construction at the 300-acre (121-hectare) site.

"Despite bringing drought relief to the region, the rain fell during the mass excavation period of construction when no other work could proceed in wet conditions," a statement said.

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"As a result, we experienced significant delays and lost the better part of two months from early January into the beginning of March.

"In the best interest of the project, we have decided to move the opening date to summer of 2020."

The Rams, who returned to Los Angeles last year after a two-decade stay in St. Louis, played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum last season.

The delay means the team will remain at the Coliseum for three more seasons.

It also means that the Los Angeles Chargers, who moved from San Diego this year, will have to stay at their temporary home of the Stubhub Center in Carson for an additional season. The Chargers are due to share the new Los Angeles Stadium when it is completed.

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The $2.6 billion (2.3 billion euros) complex is due to host the Super Bowl in 2021 while the Los Angeles 2024 Olympics campaign has slated the venue to stage the opening ceremony if the city's bid is successful.

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