When the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) marked 1,000 days to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games on October 18, the countdown felt especially meaningful for shooting sports fans. The return of the Olympics to Southern California will feature two modern venues for shooting events: the Whittier Narrows Clay Shooting Center and the Long Beach Target Shooting Hall.
Located in South El Monte, the Whittier Narrows Clay Shooting Center is one of the region’s best known shotgun ranges. Set against the rolling greenery of the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, the facility will host the shotgun events for LA28, i.e., trap and skeet. The sprawling open campus, already a favorite among competitive shooters, will provide a dramatic outdoor stage for some of the Games’ most electrifying competitions.
To the south, the Long Beach Target Shooting Hall will bring rifle and pistol events indoors to a purpose-built temporary range inside the Long Beach Convention Center. The center’s downtown waterfront location—once home to fencing at the 1984 Games—offers easy access to other Olympic sites in the Long Beach Zone and sweeping views of the Pacific. For the first time, rifle and pistol competitions will take place within walking distance of other events, enhancing the fan experience and connecting the sport more closely to the broader Olympic Games atmosphere.
The NRA Foundation is a strong supporter of USA Shooting, the national governing body for Olympic and Paralympic shooting sports in the United States, awarding several financial grants to the organization over the years. For example, last year the NRA Foundation awarded $250,000 to USA Shooting prior to the Paris 2024 Games.
Across the two venues, LA28 will feature 11 days of shooting competition from July 15 to 25, 2028. The Olympic program is expanding to 15 events, the most ever, with six men’s, six women’s and three mixed team competitions. In total, 340 athlete quotas have been confirmed, reflecting a global surge in interest and participation. The lineup includes Men’s and Women’s 10m Air Rifle, 50m Rifle 3-Position, 10m Air Pistol, Skeet and Trap, alongside Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol, Women’s 25m Pistol and mixed team events for Air Rifle, Air Pistol and Trap.
The ISSF has also introduced several key competition format updates ahead of LA28. Finals in the shotgun and Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol events will now feature eight athletes instead of six, while the 50m Rifle 3-Position final will consist solely of the standing position after a multi-stage qualification round. Mixed team finals will move to a single-elimination format, heightening intensity and spectator appeal. These adjustments take effect in January 2026.
The ISSF emphasized its collaboration with the International Olympic Committee and the LA28 Organizing Committee, stating its excitement for “the next 1,000 days” leading up to the Games.
For Los Angeles, the anticipation carries historical resonance. When the city last hosted the Olympics in 1984, shooting events were held at Prado Olympic Shooting Park in Chino, about 40 miles east of downtown. That year marked a milestone: men and women competed in separate rifle and pistol categories for the first time, while the U.S. topped the Olympic shooting medal table for the first time since 1972. Ed Etzel tied the Olympic record in men’s 50m rifle prone and 18-year-old Pat Spurgin captured gold in women’s air rifle, while Matthew Dryke triumphed in skeet with a gold medal.
Los Angeles first hosted the Olympic Games in 1932, when 41 athletes from 10 nations competed in the shooting events at the Los Angeles Police Rifle Range in Elysian Park. Nearly a century later, the sport returns to the region for LA28, this time backed by a deeply rooted culture of marksmanship and a commitment to innovation. The LA28 Games will mark Los Angeles’ third time as Olympic host and its first time welcoming the Paralympic Games.
By pairing a classic Southern California range in Whittier with a site in Long Beach near the rest of the Olympic action, LA28 organizers are positioning shooting as a central part of the Olympic landscape once again—tradition meeting modernity as the countdown to history continues.
Learn more about LA28, USA Shooting and ISSF.
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