World Sailing has officially launched the host selection process for the Continental Olympic Qualifiers and the Last Chance Regatta ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games.
The governing body is also inviting candidacies for a three-year cycle of the Youth Match Racing World Championship and the Women’s Match Racing World Championship, covering 2027, 2028, and 2029. Formal bid guidelines and technical requirements have been released online, with World Sailing emphasizing that these events are “critical to the Olympic pathway”.
The path to the 2028 Games includes a significant mid-cycle indicator in Ireland, which will stage the 2026 ILCA World Championships at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The Olympic competition itself is scheduled for July 16th to 28th, 2028, utilizing two iconic Southern California venues to showcase the sport’s diverse disciplines.
Belmont Shore in Long Beach—a venue with Olympic pedigree from the 1984 Games—will serve as an aquatics hub, hosting the high-speed board events (kite and windsurfing) alongside open water swimming and coastal rowing. The competition will then shift to the Port of Los Angeles for the boat-based events, including dinghy, skiff, and multihull classes.
Building on the framework of Paris 2024, the LA28 programme is structured to ensure full gender equality in both athlete quotas and medal opportunities. In a strategic move to maximize broadcast coverage and fan engagement, the ten sailing events will be staged consecutively rather than simultaneously.
The schedule begins on July 19th with the Men’s and Women’s Kite finals, followed by Windsurfing on July 20th. The boat events will then close the regatta, culminating in the Skiff medal races on July 28th, set against the stunning backdrop of the Pacific coastline.
