San Clemente prepares for Summer Olympics 2028; summer olympics 2028 focus on Lower Trestles

The LA 2028 Summer Olympics will mark the third time surfing has made it onto the Olympic stage, and for the first time it will be held at Lower Trestles in San Clemente. The summer olympics 2028 will bring local athletes, conservation questions and a wave of planning for the city as residents prepare for the event.

Summer Olympics 2028 at Lower Trestles

Lower Trestles will be the site of Olympic surfing for LA 2028, the first time the break in San Clemente hosts an Olympic event. The site has previously faced pressures including overdevelopment, coastal erosion and invasive plant species. Alex Ferron-Mignogna, Surfrider’s Coastal Preservation manager, said her team has been working to save the area since 2005.

Local surfer Eden Walla

San Clemente native Eden Walla is among the athletes eyeing qualification. This year marks the start of the Olympic qualifying process for athletes like Eden Walla. Walla started competing in surfing contests at 9 years old and said Lower Trestles is her home surf break. She described her beginnings this way: “It is super cool. I started on the nose of my dad’s board and I love how my whole family does it, ” and added, “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. ”

Olympic qualifying and Huntington Beach

Just 30 miles up the coast in Huntington Beach, athletes were competing in the USA Surfing Prime series as part of the competitive season that opens Olympic qualifying opportunities. Local competitors and organizers are already moving through that qualifying process with an eye to Lower Trestles as an Olympic venue.

Conservation concerns and history

Ferron-Mignogna said she is a little worried about the crowds the Olympics will bring and raised the specific worry about dunes: “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. She referenced controversies from the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the surfing was hosted in Tahiti and organizers faced scrutiny for installing a judging tower and damaging the coral reef. Ferron-Mignogna expressed cautious optimism about stewardship for Lower Trestles, saying she feels confident that those running the Olympics along with the California State Parks team will do their best to preserve and protect the area and adding, “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. ”

City planning and celebrations

San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler said the Olympics will be the biggest event the city has ever seen but expects fewer people on the beach at Lower Trestles than during past events such as the World Surf League championships. “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, ” said Mayor Loeffler.

Mayor Loeffler said he is planning several watch parties throughout San Clemente and expects tourism in the city to be through the roof. He also noted lodging and rental issues: the town does not have many places for people to stay, and he is hoping two hotel projects will finish in time for the Olympics and that the city will 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 added that the same year the Olympics is happening, San Clemente will be celebrating 100 years of being a town, saying, “We are already going to be in full celebration mode. ”

San Clemente officials, local surfers and conservation advocates are now balancing excitement about hosting Olympic surfing at Lower Trestles with efforts to protect dunes and habitat and to manage lodging, crowds and local celebrations ahead of LA 2028.