Summer Olympics 2028: Dates, venues and how San Clemente is preparing
The summer olympics 2028 are set to return to Los Angeles and will reshape parts of Southern California from July 14 to 30, 2028. The handoff of the Olympic flag in Paris signaled that attention is already shifting to Los Angeles, where organizers and coastal communities are preparing for an event of unprecedented local scale.
Summer Olympics 2028 dates, athlete numbers and event makeup
The Summer Olympics 2028 will run from July 14-30, 2028, and the organizing committee expects more than 15, 000 athletes to compete in both the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics. The Los Angeles Games will feature 351 events, 22 more than were held at the 2024 Olympics, and will integrate mixed team events in athletics, archery, golf, gymnastics and table tennis. The IOC executive board has also approved the addition of cricket, flag football, lacrosse, squash, baseball and softball.
Los Angeles venues and competitions spread across the country
There will be 49 competition venues for the Los Angeles Summer Games. The Los Angeles region will host basketball at the Intuit Dome, baseball at Dodger Stadium and golf at the Riviera Country Club. Preliminary soccer stages will be coordinated around the country in New York, Columbus (Ohio), St. Louis, Nashville (Tennessee), San Jose (California) and San Diego, while softball and canoe slalom will take place in Oklahoma City (Oklahoma).
Surfing returns to the Olympic stage at Lower Trestles in San Clemente
Surfing will appear at the Olympics for a third time and, for the first time, it will be held at Lower Trestles in San Clemente. Lower Trestles has been the subject of past concerns including overdevelopment, coastal erosion and invasive plant species. Just 30 miles up the coast in Huntington Beach, athletes were competing in the USA Surfing Prime series as the Olympic qualifying process began for competitors like Eden Walla.
Walla, a San Clemente native who started competing in surfing contests at 9 years old, called the prospect of an Olympic event at her home break remarkable. "It is super cool. I started on the nose of my dad’s board and I love how my whole family does it, " she said. "We are going to have an Olympic event in my hometown, which is pretty crazy. I am super excited to watch it, maybe be in it. We will see what happens. "
Organizers faced scrutiny during the 2024 Paris Olympics when surfing was hosted in Tahiti after installing a judging tower and damaging coral reef; that episode informs local concerns about environmental protection at Lower Trestles.
Conservation worries and local stewardship efforts
Alex Ferron-Mignogna, Surfrider’s Coastal Preservation manager, said her team has been working to save Lower Trestles since 2005 and voiced concern about the crowds the Olympics might bring. "All of these dunes that are so unique and special to this place, this protected wild space, will they be able to survive hundreds or thousands of tourists coming through, " she asked. Ferron-Mignogna added that she feels confident the organizers and the California State Parks team will try to preserve and protect the area. "I am certain and confident that all of these players, make sure this place gets through the Olympics and is not just used and thrown away, " she said.
San Clemente officials plan for crowds, housing and a town centennial
San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler called the Olympics the biggest event the city has ever seen but said he expects fewer people on the beach at Lower Trestles than at World Surf League championships because of security restrictions. "This is going to be a little more restricted because of the security there, but the event in town, I think, is going to be bigger, " he said.
Loeffler said he is planning several watch parties throughout San Clemente and expects tourism "to be through the roof. " He noted the town does not have many places for people to stay, expressed hope that two hotel projects will finish in time for the Olympics, and said he hopes to soften short-term rental regulations. "We have a lot of restrictions here if you want to do a short-term rental, and you have to have a permit, and there are only certain areas of the city, " Loeffler said. "We are probably going to extend that through the whole month of the Olympics to where people can actually come and stay here if they want to do an Airbnb. "
Loeffler also noted that the same year the Olympics arrive, San Clemente will be celebrating 100 years of being a town. "We are already going to be in full celebration mode, " he said.
Ticketing and the U. S. hosting record
At the conclusion of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris the Olympic flag was handed off to Los Angeles, which will host the 2028 Games. The 2028 edition will be the fifth time the United States has hosted the Olympics and the third time Olympic festivities have been held in Los Angeles, which previously hosted in 1932 and 1984; it will be the first stateside Summer Games since Atlanta hosted in 1996. Fans can enter a ticket lottery and explore other options on the official LA Summer Games website.
