Mallorcan Paula Barceló makes her debut on the Los Angeles 2028 racecourse

Paula Barceló, a sailor from the Club Nàutic S’Arenal, is competing alongside María Cantero in the 49erFX class at the San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta, which brings together more than 300 athletes from 47 countries.

Paula Barceló, a sailor from Club Nàutic S’Arenal, and her teammate María Cantero are already in Los Angeles to compete in the 2026 San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta, a particularly significant event as it is being held on the same racecourse that will host the sailing competitions at the 2028 Olympic Games.

The regatta will give Barceló and Cantero the opportunity to compete at the highest international level while also becoming familiar with the wind, sea, and sailing conditions of a venue that will take center stage in just two years. The Spanish crew is competing in the Olympic 49erFX class, the women's two-person skiff.

The races begin today, Monday, August 3rd, with three qualifying races scheduled for the 49erFX fleet starting at 1:00 p.m. local time. The preliminary stage will run until Wednesday, August 5th, while the knockout rounds will take place on Thursday and Friday. The competition will conclude on Saturday, August 8th, with the final races and the awards ceremony.

Over the course of six days, the San Pedro OCR will bring together more than 300 competitors from 47 countries. Among the participants are more than 70 Olympic athletes and 19 sailors who collectively hold 22 Olympic medals: three gold, twelve silver, and seven bronze.

The event will also make history as the first Olympic-class regatta ever held at the Port of Los Angeles. Even during the 1984 Olympic Games, competitions were not held at this venue, as the races took place east of the new area selected for the 2028 Olympics.

Alongside the 49erFX and 49er classes, the competition also features the Nacra 17, the mixed-crew Olympic catamaran. In addition, the event is part of the Olympic Class Sailing Grand Slam Series, which includes some of the most prestigious regattas on the international calendar, such as Mallorca's Trofeo Princesa Sofía, the French Olympic Week in Hyères, the Dutch Water Week in Almere, and Kiel Week.

For Paula Barceló, competing in San Pedro represents a valuable opportunity to measure herself against some of the world's top sailors and gain experience at the venue that will host the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles.