Beach volleyball athletes will compete at Alamitos Beach during the 2028 Summer Games, Olympics officials announced today.
Target shooting, sport climbing and coastal rowing will also be hosted along Long Beach’s waterfront or at its convention center — bringing the total number of Olympic events in the city to at least 11.
The seven other sports already slated for Long Beach were:
- Canoe sprint at Marine Stadium
- Handball in the Long Beach Arena
- Marathon swimming along the Long Beach waterfront
- Rowing at Marine Stadium
- Sailing in the water off Belmont Shore
- Water polo in a temporary aquatics venue in the Long Beach Convention Center parking lot
- And artistic swimming in the same parking lot venue
Triathlon competitions previously slated for Long Beach have been relocated to Venice Beach.
With this plan, Long Beach will have the second-busiest city in the region, hosting 11 competitions at six venues
“Long Beach is now confirmed to serve as a premier waterfront venue for the 2028 Games,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement.
Beach volleyball was originally set to be held by the Santa Monica pier, but plans were scrapped after yearslong talks between the LA28 organizing committee and Santa Monica broke down earlier this month. Other cities vied for the sport’s placement, including Huntington Beach.
Target shooting will be held inside an indoor range at the Long Beach Convention Center. Outside, the sport climbing competition will take place in the parking lot along a temporary wall. Coastal rowing, a newly added sport, will make its Olympic debut at the waterfront in Long Beach, according to organizers.
LA28 announced these additions Tuesday as part of its Olympics venue plan, following approval last week by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board.
The announcement included 15 other venues outside Long Beach such as squash in San Fernando, surfing at Trestles in San Clemente and baseball’s return to the Olympics in Dodger Stadium. The updated Paralympic venue plan will all be announced at a later date, organizers said.
Richardson called the Olympics “a generational economic opportunity” for Long Beach as it looks to take advantage of the international stardom during the games to strengthen its brand as a destination city.
Long Beach continues to roll out its multi-year, $933-million Elevate28 infrastructure plan ahead of the 2028 games, on the gambit it will pay off in the years that follow the games.
With this update, the placements for all but two events have been decided, according to organizers. About half of those will be in the city of Los Angeles, with clusters like Long Beach and Carson taking sizable shares.
“We’ve promised the world an incredible Olympic Games and today we’re proud to share the plan that will make it happen,” LA28 Chief Executive Officer Reynold Hoover said in a statement. “Los Angeles is the epicenter of sports, culture and entertainment, and every venue selected for the 2028 Games will provide athletes and fans the best possible experience.”
For a full list of confirmed sports and venues, visit here.