Triathlon Events Moved to Venice Beach for 2028 Olympic Games
The Los Angeles Olympics venue plan has been finalized, with the triathlon events relocated from Long Beach to Venice Beach, which “promises a stunning backdrop for athletes and spectators alike,” according to a release from World Triathlon.
The Games in Paris did an amazing job of utilizing the many of the city’s most iconic landmarks to showcase the city, including the Stade de France, the Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles and the Pont Alexandre III bridge, which is where the triathlon races were held. A similar vision is in the works for the Games in LA.
“The 2028 Olympic venue plan invites communities from across the region to celebrate the Games coming to their backyard with the most exciting sports staged at some of the world’s top-tier existing stadiums and arenas, famous beaches and purpose-built temporary structures,” said LA28 Chief Executive Officer Reynold Hoover.
It has long been expected that the triathlon race would take place in Long Beach, utilizing the same course used by the Long Beach Legacy Triathlon, but with Long Beach now hosting Beach Volleyball, triathlon now heads to Venice Beach, “the historic beachfront neighbourhood in Los Angeles.” The triathlon venue will also serve as the starting points for the marathon and cycling road races.
“This is a huge moment for Venice,” Brennan Lindner, the race director for the Supertri Long Beach Legacy Tri and a 20-year Venice resident told the Westside Current. “We’ve built an identity around health, movement, and inclusive community fitness. To have the eyes of the world on this beach is an honor — and a responsibility.”
Yesterday’s announcement also confirmed the triathlon program for the LA Games, which will include three medal events – men’s and women’s individual, along with the mixed relay. The athlete quota remains the same – 55 men and 55 women.
“No Build” Strategy
There will be no permanent facilities built for the LA Games, which will use venues from across the region. This “no build” strategy should save millions (that could easily read hundreds of millions, I would imagine) of dollars. This is the third time Los Angeles will be hosting the Olympic Games, becoming the third city to do that along with London and Paris. In 1984 the LA Games achieved an unusual feat for an Olympics – it actually made money. That achievement might not be duplicated in 2028, but organizers are doing their best to ensure that any cost overruns are kept to a minimum. The Montreal Games in 1976 remain the leader on the disastrous overrun front – those games ended up 720 percent over the original budget. The Paris Games last year were a reported 115 percent over-budget. It’s become so common for Olympic hosts to lose billions over the last few decades that the London Games, which broke even, were considered to be a success.
Part of the reason the 2028 Games will find it difficult to turn a profit is the size of the event – while triathlon fans are thrilled with the addition of various sports to the program, it has dramatically increased the numbers of events and athletes. In 1984 there were 221 events and 6,829 athletes. The Games in 2028 are expected to host 800 events and 15,000 athletes.
According to officials, the revised venue plan should increase revenue from the Games while reducing the risk of cost overruns, which is important to the city as it looks to recover from the the costs of the wildfires last January. The city will be partly responsible for any cost overruns, along with the state of California.
The city is hoping that won’t be the case and that in addition to the worldwide exposure the Games will provide, the legacy of the Olympics will offer additional benefits to the city.
“This plan brings the Games to all corners of our city like never before — from the Sepulveda Basin to the iconic shores of Venice Beach,” Mayor Karen Bass said. “Our world-famous neighborhoods as well as our hidden gems will be on full display for all to experience and enjoy. And as we come together to prepare, we will help small businesses, create local jobs, and implement lasting environmental and transportation improvements.”
And the paralympics (as ‘noticed’ elsewhere)
I don’t think it’s a great idea to have 12 races ,it takes away from the competive classes like vi and pts5
And there is hardly any females in 2 and 3 in my mind it was better what they did in Paris and combined them in Paris.
Sure it’s more inclusive but it excludes performers and replaces them with athletes that are not at the level.
HI @Ironmandad , I don’t know much about the Venice beach topology but is there a chance the bike course has some elevation like back in Rio (last time with a harder bike course). Also swim would be no wetsuit at that time of year?
Beat me to it, any hills?
It’s not a very hilly place
If the Olympics follow the World Tri rules, and if I’m reading them correctly, the pro wetsuit cutoff is 72 degrees. The Venice Beach Pier water temp averages around 68 degrees in August. The Pacific coast water temps are never warm. If they follow the 72 degree rule it’s a near certainty it will be wetsuit legal.
Ya almost no chance water is over 72, which its silly they treat fresh and salt water the same, they are most certainly not. And for those looking for a hill, forget about it, will be flat, flat, flat on any loop course they set up. They could produce a technical one, but we will see when it gets sorted out…
Contrasted with the current water temp in Venice Beach, FL (Gulf side just south of Sarasota) that’s already 85 degrees.
Depends where. Our beach water temps in Florida can be in the 90s on the Gulf side and upper 80s on the Atlantic side during the summer. Same when I lived in the Gulf Coast of Texas.
No it doesnt, fresh water and salt water(no matter its salinity) will always be different at the same temp. Now that difference can be more or less due to salinity %, but it will always be different…
I thought you were saying all salt water is going to be cool. Misconstrued that.
What’s your point though? Salt water heats faster than fresh water and if those wetsuit rules are meant as safeguards for humans (both for hypothermia and hyperthermia) than why does it matter if it’s salt or fresh?
Itu follows a 20c water temp (68*). There will be zero chance this is a wetsuit race when you add in likely air temp as well. Likely mid afternoon race times as well. They’ll take a combination of water temp + air temp if it’s closeish to the threshold. But there will be almost zero chance it’s wetsuit for the Olympics imo.
Why does air temperature matter (if the water temperature is 20ºC)?
I sense a ‘Paris’ testing regime (but for temperature) inbound.
4.4 b.) The temperatures in section 4.2 are not always the water temperature used in the final decision. . . . When the water temperature is at or below 22ºC and the air temperature is at or below 15ºC, then . . . (table)
My point that in “real” water heat, fresh water will always be colder than salt water, sometimes by 10 degrees. I know for a lot of people just looking at a number it is counterintuitive, thinking 75 is 75 no matter what. But if you drop that misconception and think about it and your own experience, you will see what I’m talking about.
So you are there in FL and think about how warm a 79 degree ocean feels, like bath tub water really. Now remember back to when the pool you swam in had a broken heater, or they were getting it down to meet temps, feels downright cold.
Or when you are in an ocean that is 63, little chilly, but manageable. No think about that lake that is 63, it is butt cold with head freezes…The salt acts as a huge insulation factor, which is real. In Kona it is usually 76 and folks do overheat and it is super comfortable, even for the most cold challenged. 76 degree lakes are downright cold, just have to think back to your own comparisons and it will all make sense…
All that is pretty much irrelevant. The water temp is the water temp. They don’t have a separate threshold for fresh vs salt, etc. They can account for environmental factors to adjust the water temp threshold (winds, currents, actual water conditions/quality), but the salinty of the water probaly doens’t even factor into any of that. They have an air/water temp combination additionally if needed, but nothing within the salinity percentage factoring in.
So when you talk about the “feel” of the water temparature…that doesn’t really matter other then talking about your own comfortability; but actual decision making of the water tempature for wetsuit/no wetsuit at the elite ITU level…nah bro.