Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta
Over 200 elite athletes from 42 nations have converged on Long Beach to test their skills on the same waters that will host sailing events during the LA2028 Olympic Games as they compete in the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta July 12-20, the fourth stop of the five series Sailing Grand Slam circuit. Long Beach OCR is the 65th edition of the event; registration and an opening ceremony will be held on Friday July 11, at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club (ABYC), and racing gets underway on Saturday July 12.
Recently confirmed as the LA 2028 venue for board sports, Long Beach is widely known for its consistent breeze and warm summer sailing conditions, as event co-organizer Mike Van Dyke, notes.
“We’re thrilled for athletes to experience Southern California’s premier sailing venue and to compete at the one of the sailing sites for the 2028 Olympic Games,” says Van Dyke. “We proudly welcome sailors from around the world to compete as part of the Sailing Grand Slam Series and look forward to putting on a world-class event in a world-class sailing venue.”
For the past few years in preparation for LA2028, race committees from Long Beach and Newport Harbor area yacht clubs as well as Cal Yacht Club have been running Olympic class courses which will be utilized for Long Beach OCR. Additionally, some 200 volunteers from Southern California have collaborated to ensure world-class racing for the sailors.
The Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta traces its roots back to the early 1960s, establishing itself as the first event of its kind in the United States. Over the next two decades, it evolved into the nation’s premier Olympic Classes regatta, playing a key role in the buildup to the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Throughout its history, the regatta has served as a vital training ground for aspiring Olympians, helping shape generations of elite sailors.
The Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta (LBOCR) Organizing Authority is led by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club and Long Beach Yacht Club. This premier event is made possible through the collaboration of Southern California yacht clubs including California Yacht Club (CalYC), Newport Harbor Yacht Club (NHYC), Balboa Yacht Club (BYC) and Bahia Corinthia Yacht Club (BCYC). Together, these clubs provide the expertise and resources to deliver world-class Olympic-class racing in preparation for LA2028. https://www.longbeachocr.org/
The Sailing Grand Slam (SGS) is a world class circuit bringing together five world-class events across the sailing season for Olympic sailors. The SGS, developed in close collaboration with World Sailing, creates a global platform to showcase the world’s top sailors in the build-up to the LA 2028 Olympic Games. In 2025, the SGS circuit includes the following regattas: Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia (Mallorca, Spain), Semaine Olympique Francaise (Hyeres, France), Kieler Woche (Kiel, Germany), Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta (Long Beach, California), and Dutch Water Week (Almere, Netherlands).
