US Sailing Team plants flag in Long Beach

More than 250 boats were featured among the ten events at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with 330 athletes representing 65 nations. But before the competition, there were even more vying for entry, and all that equipment and people had to be based outside of the venue. Now for LA 2028, securing base locations is again the priority.

With the racing off Long Beach, three harbors and five miles of beach space offer options. The US Sailing Team intends to set up several bases in the region, and have claimed the first location in the parking lot of Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. Two shipping containers are now in position, having arrived from the team’s training base in Marseille, France,

“The investment in these team bases reflects the US Sailing Team’s commitment to creating a high-performance environment, while also establishing strong local ties in Long Beach,” says Marcus Lynch, US Sailing High Performance Director.

These containers, which had served as “bases” for both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics, contain team meeting space, storage lockers, a workshop, and offices to support the Team during their training and preparation.

Alamitos Bay Yacht Club has an enduring partnership with US Sailing, including serving as the host of a US Open series in the Olympic classes each summer.

This marks the first step in securing a local training base for LA 2028 so that athletes may familiarize themselves with the local conditions in Long Beach, a crucial aspect of their preparation.

“This is an exciting next step for the Olympic Development Program athletes, not only for Los Angeles 2028 but for Brisbane 2032,” said Olympic Development Director Rosie Chapman, who just moved to the area full time to oversee operations and lead our development athletes in their training.

“I am excited to have this home for all the US athletes and the role this will play in the development of our pipeline to a winning Olympic team. Long Beach is a world class venue and now it’s coming together with world class infrastructure.”

Over the next four years, the world’s high-performance sailors will shift their focus to Long Beach ahead of the LA 2028 Games. US Sailing will be partnering with World Sailing and LA28 to deliver the Olympic Sailing events and support US and international athletes.

Above photos courtesy of the US Sailing Team.

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: Long Beach, CA
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. At that time, the IOC will also confirm the quota for sailing and how many medals.