While it’s true that we will always have Paris, time stops for no one. The 2028 Summer Olympic Games to be held in Los Angeles are just 1,428 days away. This is the third time that the City of Angels has hosted the athletic competition, so the city is familiar with the honor and challenges it brings. It owes a debt of gratitude to 1932 and 1984 for those lessons.
Here’s what you need to know about the future event, also known as LA28.
What are the dates of the 2028 L.A. Olympics?
The games will kick things off with the traditional opening ceremony on July 14, 2028. Sixteen days later, the competition comes to a close with another ceremony on July 30, 2028. The Paralympics follow from August 15 to 27.
Which venues are being used for LA28?
The nice thing about hosting for the third time in Los Angeles is that the basic infrastructure already exists and will just need some updating for the events. The City of Angels used this as a selling point in its bid to host the games.
While some of the details are still being worked out, here’s what we know so far about where events will be held.
The athletes will be housed at UCLA instead of building a brand new Olympic Village. Gymnastics will borrow The Arena (aka Crypto.com Arena) from the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Sparks for the summer. Diving will take place at a 1932 Pool in Exposition Park.
LA Memorial Coliseum will, of course, get in on the action as well, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies as well as some of the competition. A swimming pool will be built at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. This will become the largest Olympic swimming venue of all time, with the capacity for 38,000 fans.
Other cities are also offering their venues for the big event. Long Beach will host marathon swimming, the triathlon, and sailing. Temecula is hosting Equestrian events. Further away, Oklahoma City will help out with canoe slalom and softball.
Which new sports events are planned for LA28?
A surprising fact is that Olympic sports change every four years. Only four mainstays have been included every year since 1896: athletics, fencing, swimming, and artistic gymnastics.
For the 2020 Summer Games, the International Olympic Committee created a mandated group of core sports that must always be part of the competition. The host city is free to suggest up to six optional sports to add to the mix.
Los Angeles has picked cricket, lacrosse, baseball/softball, squash, and flag football. Cricket, lacrosse, and baseball/softball have all been at the Olympics before. Squash and flag football will be making their Olympic debuts.
What about breaking and boxing?
Breaking is out for 2028. The sport made its debut in Paris, but before those games even started, the decision was made to exclude it from Los Angeles. Many are disappointed in this decision, especially since the sport originated in the United States.
Victor Montalvo took all this in stride and was thankful that breaking made it to the Olympics at all. “I feel like we did our job,” he mused about his fellow competitors to USA Today. “Everyone loved it. The crowd was going crazy. It’s OK. We’re not in 2028, but honestly, I (am) the first ever bronze medalist for breaking. So, that’s an amazing thing to say.”
As for boxing, it has not officially been put on the roster either, although it will most likely have a better fate than breaking. In June of 2023, the IOC stopped recognizing the International Boxing Association due to its alleged corruption. A new governing body for the sport is needed to secure its Olympic future.
Will cars be allowed at the L.A. Olympics?
Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles, is holding fast to her promise of a car-free Olympic games. If you have been to the area, you are right to have doubts.
“We’re a very car-dependent city, but it means that if you are going to attend any of the sports venues, you’re going to have to take public transportation,” Bass told CNN. “We’ve been building out our system, but we’re also going to need a lot of buses, thousands of buses from neighboring cities and states to help us deliver that.”