Los Angeles 2028 Olympics Logo (Wikimedia Commons)
SANTA MONICA - LA28, the Los Angeles Olympic organizing committee, and the City of Santa Monica ended two years of negotiations to host beach volleyball and will look for another location, it was announced Tuesday.
LA28 initially proposed staging the event at Santa Monica State Beach. They are now considering Long Beach and Huntington Beach, as reported by Sports Business Journal.
On Tuesday, the committee told Santa Monica that after a "thorough evaluation and careful assessment," they decided to conclude its efforts with the city.
Despite good-faith efforts to reach a deal that would benefit both the Santa Monica and LA28, the two parties were not able to agree to terms around community benefits, operational details and financial guarantees, according to city officials.
"There is no better place to host the Olympic beach volleyball competition than Santa Monica, where the sport was born," Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete said in a statement.
"We would have loved to be a venue city in 2028," Negrete added. "While we're disappointed that an agreement was not realized, we remain eager to share in the excitement the Olympics will bring to our region and are looking forward to being a regional partner in this historic event."
A spokesman for LA28 told City News Service in an email that the process for Santa Monica to become a venue city for the 2028 Games was "consistent and in line" with all other negotiations.
"LA28 remains confident that beach volleyball's venue will be staged along the iconic Pacific coastline and deliver an incredible athlete and fan experience," LA28 said in a statement.
In October 2024, a study on the economic impacts of hosting the Olympic event found that the Santa Monica would generate $14.09 million as a venue city and cost $15.54 million to do so -- a net loss of $1.45 million -- while not hosting the competition could lead to $10.65 million in profit as result of tourism.
According to city officials, while they ended venue city negotiations, Santa Monica could still host hospitality houses for other countries, broadcast centers, practice venues and watch parties, among other opportunities.
Santa Monica is moving forward with its CELEBRATE 28 initiative, a regional event in celebration of the 2028 Games.
"When the world shows up to Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Olympics, we look forward to welcoming hundreds of thousands of participants and sports enthusiasts to Santa Monica for an iconic California experience," Santa Monica Travel and Tourism President and CEO Misti Kerns said in a statement.
According to Kerns, the beachside city is already seeing "strong" demand for the summer months of 2028.
"Our hotels, restaurants, attractions and shopping areas are working to create additional packages and experiences while looking forward to hosting Olympic visitors during this exciting time for the region," Kerns added.
Additional reporting by City News Service
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