The LA28 Olympics triathlon solo and relay events have been undergoing planning for some time. Teams have been practicing on the course at Venice Beach while the Olympic triathlon course were revealed this week.
The IOC announced, “Olympic triathlon returns to a beach start at #LA28 on July 15th 2028. Venice Beach will provide the iconic backdrop as LA28’s first Olympic triathlon champions are crowned. Discover how this legendary location will set the scene for triathlon at the next Olympic Games.
The women’s individual race will kickoff the opening day of Olympic competition. The men’s individual race will be held on July 16th and the mixed relay will be held on July 20th.
The triathletes will begin the races with a beach start, running and dolphining into the Pacific Ocean. 2016 Rio Olympics also had a beach start on Copacabana Beach.
In LA28, the triathletes will swim two laps along the shore. They will swim 1000 meters, exit, run along the beach, and then do another 500 meters back to the T1 transition area. Then they will race 8 laps along the 40 km bike course along the Venice Beach path and on the streets of Venice before heading into the T2 transition. The final 10 km run course will consist of four 2.5 km laps over the bridges of Venice canals to the finish on the beach.
The mixed triathlon relay will be held in the same area, but each four-person team will do a 350 meter swim followed by a 6.6 km bike, and a 1.6 km run.
In contrast, knowledge of the LA28 Olympic 10 km open water swim course has been held under strict signed non-disclosure agreements among a small group of decision-makers. Rumor has it that the course will be held somewhere near the Belmont Pier in Long Beach, but the details have yet to be revealed.
There may be a test event in the LA28 Olympic 10 km open water course in July 2027, but that possibility has yet to be announced.
World Aquatics confirmed that the primary qualification path for the LA28 Olympic 10 km open water swim will be held at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary from July 3rd to 8th 2027, rather than at an LA28 venue test event. The first three finishers in the 10 km event will earn a quota spot for the LA28 Olympic Games.
As of February 2028, the highest-ranked athlete in the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Ranking will earn a quota place invitation by name for the LA28 Olympic Games, although it is highly likely that thes athletes would have already qualified at the 2027 World Championships. In that case, the next highest-ranked eligible athlete in the Open Water Swimming World Ranking will obtain a quota place.
Beyond those quota places, there will be 18 athletes who will qualify at the LA28 Olympic Games Qualification Event. These 18 athletes will include up to five continental representatives, one host country athlete, and the remaining athletes based on the results.
In addition to the process described above, any athlete who has achieved an Olympic “A” Standard Qualification Time in either the 800m or 1,500m freestyle may enter the open water event.
However, similar to the confidential secrecy of the location, course configuration, and other logistics of the LA28 Olympic 10 km open water swim, the 2028 World Aquatics Olympic Games Qualification Event has yet to be announced.
But at least the global open water swimming community can be confident that the waters off Belmont Shore should be flat and tranquil for the LA28 Olympics [see below]. The calm Pacific Ocean course within the Long Beach Breakwater will be dramatically different than the fast-flowing and contra-flowing 2024 Paris Olympics 10 km open water course in the Seine.
Stay tuned to learn more…eventually.
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