Huntington Beach, known as “Surf City USA,” will not host surfing or beach volleyball in the LA 2028 Olympics. Hetty Chang reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on April 15, 2025.
Huntington Beach, known as “Surf City USA," will not host surfing or beach volleyball in the LA 2028 Olympics.
The decision, announced Tuesday, comes after months of speculation as continued changes to the LA28 venue plans are revealed.
“As a beach city synonymous with surf and sand, we were honored to be considered in the Olympic Games conversation,” said Kelly Miller, President & CEO of Visit Huntington Beach. “While we’re not an official venue for LA28, we’re proud to be part of the energy and spirit of the Games."
Surfing will instead be held 45 minutes south at Trestles Beach in San Clemente.
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Some avid surfers told NBCLA they welcomed the announcement.
“It’s the best spot in the country,” said Richard Hilton.
“That’s amazing, actually – much better than any other option,” another surfer said after being told the news this morning.
Another event with which Huntington Beach in closely connected, beach volleyball, will be 15 miles up the coast at Alamitos Beach in Long Beach.
Surfing in Huntington Beach dates back to 1907, according to city historians. They say Hawaiian waterman and surfing pioneer George Freeth was the first to ride the now iconic SoCal waves.
While the origins of the name “Surf City” date back to 1927 in the Central Coast surfing enclave of Santa Cruz, Huntington Beach picked it up in 1991 as a way to promote the city.
The name was officially adopted in 2008 after a tense trademark dispute.
The 2028 Olympics will be the third time surfing will be included in the games. It made its debut first during the 2020 Tokyo games, and then again in 2024. Both games yielded gold medals for team USA women’s surfing.
