The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics — the first Summer Games in the U.S. since Atlanta 1996 — open two years from today on July 14, 2028.
They will be the biggest Games ever with a record 353 medal events , up from 329 at the 2024 Paris Games.
Here’s a look at what’s new for the LA Games:
Flag football, baseball/softball among new sports
Flag football makes its Olympic debut, as does squash. Sports returning to the program after absences include baseball and softball (previously medal sports in the 1990s and 2000s, plus Tokyo 2020), cricket (also held in 1900) and lacrosse (a medal sport in 1904 and 1908).
NFL teams will allow players to participate in Olympic flag football — under a set of conditions — should international and national governing bodies also allow it.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in February that he’s optimistic big leaguers will be able to participate in the Olympics for the first time in 2028, though an ESPN report Tuesday detailed hurdles to an agreement with the MLB Players Association.
MLB players weren’t in past Games given the Olympics take place during the MLB season, but the earlier-than-usual 2028 Olympic dates — the baseball tournament at Dodger Stadium is July 13-19, which could coincide with an extended All-Star break — may help.
New events in track and field, gymnastics, swimming
Mainstay Olympic sports will also bring fresh looks to LA 2028.
Track and field includes a mixed-gender 4x100m relay for the first time. Gymnastics debuts a mixed-gender team event. In swimming, every stroke will now have a 50-meter event with the addition of the 50m backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly.
What’s more, swimming and track and field are flipped on the schedule. Track and field, normally in the second week, will be in the first week. Swimming, normally in the first week, will be in the second week to accommodate SoFi Stadium’s transition from co-hosting the Opening Ceremony (with the LA Memorial Coliseum) into becoming the first NFL stadium to host Olympic swimming.
Other changes include additional mixed-gender team events in archery, golf and table tennis, splitting the sport climbing combined event into separate medal events for bouldering and lead and a seventh women’s boxing weight division to equal the men’s amount. Rowing adds coastal beach sprint events.
Events in Oklahoma City ... and nationwide
Oklahoma City will host all of the canoe slalom competition, plus the softball tournament, as it has existing world-class venues for each sport.
As usual, men’s and women’s soccer matches before the finals are spread across the host nation. In this case, it’s New York City; Columbus, Ohio; Nashville; St. Louis; San Jose and San Diego in California, plus the Rose Bowl, which hosts both gold-medal matches.
More Olympic milestones for women
After Paris 2024 marked the first Olympics with equal athlete quota spots for men and women, the LA 2028 will take more steps toward highlighting women.
All team sports will have at least the same number of women’s teams as men’s teams: water polo is adding two women’s teams to reach 12, equaling the men’s tournament. In soccer, there will be 16 women’s teams and 12 men’s teams, flipping the amount for each in past Games.
Women will be in the spotlight from the first day of medal competition: the first medal event is the women’s triathlon at Venice Beach, and the marquee event of night one will be the women’s 100m final.
What’s more, the final individual event of the Games will be the women’s 800m freestyle in swimming, where Katie Ledecky could become the first woman to win the same event for a fifth time.
