LA28: Sailing venue soon to be confirmed

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
The Los Angeles 2028 Olympics expects to host 36 different sports, and while venue selection typically has little impact on how the athletes compete, Sailing is not like most sports. Understanding the weather conditions is paramount for success, and that requires training and racing on the venue site.

With the event to begin in three years, the venue site is still not known, but that will change soon.

It had long been assumed that Long Beach (above) would be the site, as it was at the 1984 Olympics, and has continued to be for major championships ever since. The southern California venue has ideal summer winds and the infrastructure to host excellent regattas. Half of the Olympic events already have major championships scheduled in Long Beach.

But that assumption got tossed into the spanner when the LA28 Organizing Committee opened the bidding, and the Los Angeles community of San Pedro leaned in. Located near Long Beach, the venue attributes are inferior, but likely better funded through the Port of Los Angeles. This is the venue that twice hosted SailGP, and that’s expensive.

While LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover is not ready to reveal the complete list of Olympic venues, LA Councilmember Tim McOsker has been venting to the media about how Sailing will be in Long Beach. McOsker said the wind for sailing is far better at the Port of L.A. than in Long Beach, and keeping the event within the City could bring in revenue from 10,000 spectator tickets.

With all due respect, I want what he’s smoking,  though his motivation is likely less about what is good for the sailors and more about what’s good for him. San Pedro is in the 15th District… his district.

Some venues have been confirmed, and Hoover reports the final list will go public by April 9 following IOC approval.

MORE: McOsker claims “moving sailing to San Pedro is better for the athlete” though we question whether he has asked the sailors. We’d bet he hasn’t, but that’s not stopping him from from trying to move the competition to his district. Hopefully, World Sailing will diffuse the self-interest. To read more, click here.

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Sailing Program*:
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Venue: Los Angeles or Long Beach
Dates: July 21-August 6

* World Sailing voted to keep the Paris 2024 Sailing Program for Los Angeles 2028, but the program is not final until the IOC approves all events, which usually occurs between December 2024 and January 2025. To date, this decision has not been made.