By Costanza Genoese Zerbi | RealTrends Verified Top Agent Southern California | eXp Realty of Greater Los Angeles

Published August 2026 | Reading time: approximately 4 minutes

I was walking my dogs through Marine Stadium the other morning and came across something I didn't expect: the Chinese national rowing team, out training on the water. It stopped me in my tracks a little — and it's a good excuse to talk about a piece of Long Beach history that a lot of residents drive past without realizing what it actually is.

A Nearly 100-Year-Old Olympic Venue

Marine Stadium was built in 1932 specifically to host the rowing events of that year's Olympic Games — it's the first manmade rowing course ever built in the United States. Rowing competitions ran there from August 9 to 13, 1932, with 152 competitors from 13 nations racing on the same stretch of water that runs along Appian Way and Paoli Way today.

Nearly a century later, Marine Stadium is coming full circle. It's confirmed as the venue for both rowing and canoe sprint at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, marking the site's second time hosting an Olympic Games and its first time hosting Paralympic events.

Why International Teams Are Already Training Here

With the 2028 Games approaching, national teams have started using Marine Stadium to train and get familiar with the course ahead of competition — which is exactly what I stumbled into on my walk. It's not unusual anymore to see athletes from around the world out on the water on any given morning.

Long Beach isn't just hosting one event, either. The city is set to host 11 Olympic events in 2028 — more than any city outside Los Angeles itself — including beach volleyball, sailing, open water swimming, artistic swimming, water polo, and target shooting, in addition to rowing and canoe sprint at Marine Stadium.

What This Means for the Neighborhood

Marine Stadium sits right at the edge of Alamitos Heights, one of Long Beach's most walkable neighborhoods — residents can reach the water on foot in minutes, along with Belmont Shore, Naples, and the surrounding areas. Marine Stadium's Olympic role is a reminder of what makes this stretch of Long Beach genuinely unique — a place with real, living Olympic history, not just a nice place to walk the dog. As 2028 gets closer, expect more visibility, more international training activity, and likely more attention on Alamitos Heights and the neighborhoods surrounding the water.

If you're curious about living near Marine Stadium or the surrounding waterfront neighborhoods, I'd love to show you around — both the real estate and the history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Has Marine Stadium hosted the Olympics before? Yes. It hosted rowing events at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and was the first manmade rowing course built in the United States.

What Olympic events will Marine Stadium host in 2028? Marine Stadium is confirmed to host both rowing and canoe sprint at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, as well as Paralympic events.

How many Olympic events will Long Beach host overall in 2028? Long Beach is set to host 11 Olympic events in 2028, the most of any city besides Los Angeles.

About Costanza Genoese Zerbi

Costanza Genoese Zerbi is a Broker Associate at eXp Realty of Greater Los Angeles and the founder of Costanza Genoese Zerbi & Associates. She is a RealTrends Verified Top Agent in Southern California — five consecutive years — with 600+ closed transactions and more than $500 million in career sales volume. She serves buyers and sellers across Long Beach, the South Bay, greater Los Angeles, and Orange County.

Contact: 📲 (562) 221-4527 🌐 costanzagz.com 📍 1650 Ximeno Ave Suite 300, Long Beach CA 90804 DRE #01941438