PHOTOS: Olympic and Paralympic Athletes, Mayor Richardson Join Ocean Conservancy for Beach Cleanup at Site of 2028 Olympic Games in Long Beach

LOS ANGELES – Today, Ocean Conservancy, the City of Long Beach, and representatives from the USA Artistic Swimming National Team and the U.S. Olympians and Paralympians Association joined 74 local volunteers to remove 769 pounds of trash from Alamitos Beach.

Long Beach will serve as a 2028 Venue City set to stage the largest number of sporting events outside of the Host City of Los Angeles: 11 sporting events for the Olympic Games and seven for the Paralympic Games, nine of which will take place along local beaches and waterways. Alamitos Beach, where the cleanup will take place, and its connecting shoreline will stage multiple sporting events including beach volleyball, open water swimming, coastal rowing, sailing and blind football.

“As a Venue City with several sporting events taking place along our beaches and waterways, Long Beach is deeply committed to protecting the coastal environment that defines our iconic shoreline,” said Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson. “Caring for our beaches and waterways is not just our responsibility—it’s a shared commitment with our community partners and residents. We’re proud to join forces with the Ocean Conservancy, the USA Artistic Swimming National Team and the U.S. Olympians and Paralympians Association for our first volunteer event leading up to the 2028 Games. Together, we’re building a legacy of environmental stewardship and civic pride that will carry well beyond 2028.”

Ocean Conservancy knows the power of sport to mobilize people to take action for our ocean. That’s why Ocean Conservancy created Protect Where We Play: to unite fans, athletes, and artists in defense of the ocean that makes it all possible. The initiative is supported by “Team Ocean Captains” such as two-time Gold-medal Paralympian Ezra Frech (who attended the cleanup), WNBA’s Napheesa Collier, NFL’s Kelvin Beachum, and MLB’s Brent Suter, as well as Team Ocean Teams USA Artistic Swimming (one of the cleanup partners), the Seattle Seahawks, and United States SailGP Team.

“We are grateful to the City of Long Beach, athletes and volunteers who showed up for the ocean today,” said Ocean Conservancy’s Senior Director of Conservation Cleanups Allison Schutes. ”Every piece of trash picked up not only helps make the ocean safer for marine life but also informs important research and advocacy that will help prevent plastic pollution from reaching the ocean in the first place.”

Every year, more than 11 million metric tons of plastic waste are estimated to enter the ocean, impacting more than 1,300 species of marine life, including seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals. Plastics, when ingested, can be deadly to sea life.

Ocean Conservancy has hosted the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) since 1986. Since then, nearly 19 million volunteers have removed over 400 million pounds of trash worldwide — equivalent to over 27,000 pounds per day for 40 years. Cleanups not only have immediate impacts on ocean health, but the data collected also contributes to plastics research and policy advocacy. Using the Clean Swell app, volunteers help build the world’s largest marine debris database, which has fueled policies like plastic bag bans, foam restrictions and California’s landmark plastics law, SB54.

What Athletes Are Saying

“Joining a cleanup like the one we had today is a great reminder of just how much plastic is plaguing our beloved beaches. I grew up just a few miles from the coast, in a family of surfers and environmental advocates, and I’ve spent my career making sure people of all abilities have safe, healthy places to play. If we want the next generation to enjoy the same sports and open spaces that shaped my life, we have to safeguard the ocean from plastic pollution. We need to Protect Where We Play,” said two-time gold medalist Paralympian and Protect Where We Play Team Ocean Captain Ezra Frech.

“We’re incredibly excited to compete in Long Beach, and taking part in this Protect Where We Play clean-up is a meaningful way to give back to the community that will soon host us. As athletes who depend on clean, safe water every day, we’re proud to help care for the environment around us and committed to making a positive impact on this city before, during, and after the Games,” said Olympic Silver Medalist and three time Olympian, Anita Alvarez.

Photos from today’s event can be found HERE.

The International Coastal Cleanup media kit with photos, b-roll and data can be found HERE.

You can find a two pager with toplines from the 2024 ICC data HERE.

You can find the full 2024 ICC report HERE.

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ABOUT PROTECT WHERE WE PLAY

Protect Where We Play is Ocean Conservancy’s bold, new initiative that aims to inspire a new wave of fan engagement and action by leveraging the sports and entertainment industries as a first entry point to activate a broader and more diverse array of “Team Ocean” advocates. You can watch the sizzle reel here, read Forbes’ coverage of the launch here, and Pollstar’s Earth Day coverage on the origin story of this initiative here. For more information, visit protectwhereweplay.com.

ABOUT OCEAN CONSERVANCY 

For more than 50 years, Ocean Conservancy has delivered effective, evidence-based solutions for the ocean and all who depend on it. Today, we continue to unite science, people and policy to protect our ocean from the greatest challenges it faces: climate change, plastic pollution and biodiversity loss. We are a 501(C)3 headquartered in Washington, D.C. that inspires a worldwide network of partners, advocates and supporters through our comprehensive and clear-eyed approach to ocean conservation. Together, we are securing a healthy ocean and a thriving planet, forever and for everyone. For more information, visit oceanconservancy.org, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Bluesky or Instagram.

ABOUT THE CITY OF LONG BEACH

Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, the award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-with Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.