On September 23, LA28 published its first detailed look at the Olympic triathlon courses, and every leg uses ground Venice residents already cover on foot and by bike. Athletes start the swim from the beach. They ride the Venice bike path and loop through neighborhood streets, run over the bridges of the Venice Canals, and pass the Venice Sign before finishing at a line overlooking the water. The women's individual race is where LA28 says the first medals of the Games will be awarded. LA28's competition schedule puts that race on July 15, 2028.
The nearer date is in the same announcement. LA28 confirmed a World Triathlon T50 Triathlon World Tour event in Venice for July 16 to 18, 2027, and described it as a chance to "assess course performance and operational readiness." That means the course gets raced for the first time in summer 2027, about eight and a half months away, a full year before the Games. The finished jobs so far include a donor-funded skatepark, and the pagodas are being restored within budget limits. The larger jobs still need approvals that do not move on an athletics schedule.
The Course Is the Neighborhood's Daily Route
The individual race lays out like this, according to LA28's course release:
- Swim, 1,500 meters. Athletes start from the beach rather than a pontoon, which LA28 says has happened only once before in Olympic history. They swim a 1,000-meter lap, run 25 meters on the sand, and swim a final 500-meter lap.
- Bike, 40 kilometers. Eight 5-kilometer laps leave the Venice bike path for the streets, with two technical turnarounds and a pass in front of the Venice Sign.
- Run, 10 kilometers. Four 2.5-kilometer laps repeat the bike route along the path, then cross the canal bridges and head back to the transition area.
The mixed relay follows on July 20, 2028, and the Paralympic triathlon uses the same zone on August 18 and 19, 2028. LA28's competition schedule also names the Venice Beach Boardwalk as the starting point for both Olympic marathons and both road cycling races. The road races finish at Griffith Observatory. For those events, Venice is the start line, not the finish.
At the October 12 Oceanfront Walk Committee meeting, LA28 representative Maxwell Bracey said the North Venice Beach Boardwalk parking lot will hold the grandstands and the finish line, Yo! Venice reported. Once the course runs along the bike path and past the pagodas, the condition of those structures becomes part of the event.
What Already Got Done
Two of the most visible 2026 projects on Ocean Front Walk are finished.
The beach playground reopened on Saturday, March 21 with new equipment, landscaping and seating. Councilmember Traci Park and Recreation and Parks staff attended, and Yo! Venice counted more than 200 children and parents.
The Original Venice Skatepark followed in August. On May 7, the Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners approved the renovation as an in-kind donation from Nicolai Marciano and The Skatepark Project, valued at about $180,000. The approval depended on a California Coastal Commission written exemption. The work included new ledges and curbs, benches and a launch ramp. TransWorld SKATEboarding reported a free grand reopening on Saturday, August 15. Jesse Martinez, Ishod Wair and Venice skater Richard Massie were among those who gave input on the design.
The skatepark went from board approval to ribbon-cutting in about 14 weeks. The renovation came to the city as a donated, finished project, with The Skatepark Project handling management and design.
The Middle Tier Is Still in Progress
The next group of projects is underway, with most target dates set for winter 2026 or later.
| Item | Where it stood | Stated target |
|---|---|---|
| About 30 WPA-era pagodas | Funding was moving from Cultural Affairs to Recreation and Parks in May. In August, the pagodas were being refurbished "based on current budget limitations," with several still fenced | Winter of 2026 |
| Emily Winters mural | Listed for restoration in the August 3 committee minutes | None given |
| Paddle tennis courts | Work underway and a pole replaced in August. Resurfacing scheduled | Spring 2027, weather permitting |
| Calisthenics area | Rings and rope being replaced | None given |
| Bike rails near the Whaler at Washington Square | Added by August 3 | Done |
The pagoda figure is useful as a baseline. In May, Sean Silva of Park's office said the $150,000 would restore about 30 structures and also cover other beach upgrades and public art, including the Poet's Wall, according to Yo! Venice. That total is smaller than the donation that rebuilt one skatepark, and it is spread across about 30 New Deal-era structures and more. That helps explain the "budget limitations" language in the August 3 committee minutes.
The paddle tennis resurfacing is set to finish in spring 2027. That falls a few months before the T50 event, if the weather allows. Washington Square has a smaller change of its own. The Venice Whaler at 10 Washington Blvd. brought back alcohol service in late October with a happy hour from 2 to 7 p.m., Yo! Venice reported.
The Largest Ideas Are Still Motions
The proposals that would change how Ocean Front Walk looks are the ones furthest from construction. Each one is waiting on approval, money, or both.
- Windward plaza. Richard Stanger, who chairs the Venice Neighborhood Council's Parking and Transportation Committee, presented a plan in May to replace the asphalt between Speedway and Pacific, and later around Windward Circle, with decorative paving, lighting, landscaping and seating. Yo! Venice reported that a survey drew about 550 responses with more than 90% support for the western section and close to 70% for the circle. The cost estimate is $500,000 to $1,000,000, and the project needs Coastal Commission review. A pedestrian-friendly Windward Circle has been a neighborhood policy objective since 2001.
- Venice Pier entrance. Tima Bell, a lifelong Venice resident, architect and owner of Washington Square Pizza, proposed an arched monument and a Washington Square gathering space with permeable paving, trees and low lighting to replace the current parking booth. Bell is paying for much of the cost himself, and the committee voted 6-0 on October 12 to send the plan to the full VNC, per Yo! Venice.
- Marvin Braude Bike Trail. A motion from Councilmember Park to improve the trail through Venice Beach passed the full VNC on October 20. The report gave no design or timeline. The triathlon bike leg runs along this path.
- Restrooms. In August, the Oceanfront Walk Committee voted 5-0 on a motion about restroom upkeep. The motion recommended a capital plan for restoration and new restrooms before the 2028 Games. The minutes from the same month say a repair budget had been contracted.
The pier arch has a private funder and still needs board and agency approval. The Windward plaza has wide community support and still needs funding and Coastal Commission review. Each was moving through committees in 2026, and neither had reached construction by late October.
One maintenance item is current. Yo! Venice reported on October 20 that Ocean Front Walk lighting had been out for about 10 blocks, from the basketball courts to 26th, for at least a month. CD-11 was looking into it, and no repair date had been announced.
The Dates on the Near Calendar
For residents who want to weigh in, these meetings come next.
- Monday, November 2: Oceanfront Walk Committee, the panel where the pagoda, restroom and pier proposals have come up this year. Details are at venicenc.org.
- November 12 and November 19: LA28 in-person meetings announced by Bracey, with RSVPs through la28.org. LA28 is also recruiting volunteers ages 18 and up and asking local businesses to get involved.
- Winter 2026: Target for finishing the pagoda restoration.
- Spring 2027: Target for the paddle tennis resurfacing.
- July 16 to 18, 2027: The World Triathlon T50 event on the Venice course.
Projects that are finished by summer 2027 will be in place for the test event. Anything still at the motion stage by then will need to fit into the year between the test event and the Games.
I follow how changes along the boardwalk, Washington Square and the canals show up in day-to-day life on the Venice side of the coast, and I'm always glad to compare notes with neighbors. If you'd like to talk through what these projects could mean for your corner of Venice, Marie Morgenstern is here when you're ready. Let's Connect.
