Mayor Karen Bass signs an executive directive last month streamlining processes to support the delivery of her vision for the 2028 Olympic Games. This week, Olympics officials revealed the competition schedule for a majority of the sports for the 2028 Games.
Courtesy photo
Wave Wire Services
LOS ANGELES — The majority of the competition schedule for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics was announced Nov. 11 by its organizing committee, LA28.
The 2028 Games will be the largest in history with 51 sports. The opening ceremony is scheduled for July 14, 2028, with the closing ceremony set for Day 16, July 30, 2028. The first medal event will be the triathlon, which will be held in Venice on Day 1, July 15.
However, as is custom, several team sports will begin preliminary competition before the opening ceremony — cricket, soccer, handball, water polo, basketball, rugby and field hockey.
The final Olympic champions will be decided on Day 16 in swimming at SoFi Stadium, just before the closing ceremony.
There will be 26 finals sessions across 23 sports on what organizers are billing as “Super Saturday,” July 29, 2028, with 15 gold and bronze medal team sport matchups and finals for 15 individual sports.
Baseball and softball will be returning to the Olympics after not being on the schedule for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The baseball gold medal game will be played on Day 5 at Dodger Stadium and the softball gold medal game on Day 15 in Oklahoma City.
The softball and canoe slalom competitions will be held in Oklahoma City because there are no appropriate venues in Southern California and organizers opted not to build temporary venues to reduce costs.
Cricket will be part of the Olympics for the first time since 1900, when one match between Great Britain and France was played. The final match of the women’s tournament will be played on Day 6, and the men’s tournament on Day 15, both at Fairplex in Pomona.
Lacrosse is also set to return with both women’s and men’s final set for Day 15 at BMO Stadium in Exposition Park. Lacrosse last appeared at the 1908 London Games, and later as a demonstration sport in Amsterdam in 1928, and again in Los Angeles in 1932 and London 1948.
Flag football and squash will be making their Olympic debuts on Day 1. The first men’s and women’s flag football team champions will be decided on Days 7 and 8, respectively, while women’s and men’s squash champions will be decided on Days 9 and 10.
Six mixed-gender team events will also make their Olympic debuts in 2028.
Champions will be decided in track’s 4 by 100 meter mixed relay on Day 3, followed by compound bow event in archery on Day 7, and mixed-team event in golf on Day 10.
Additionally, champions will be decided in mixed team events in artistic gymnastics and double sculls in coastal beach sprint rowing on Day 11, with mixed team events in table tennis on Day 15.
LA28 will release details for the soccer tournaments in the future. Group play matches for soccer will be played at stadiums outside the Los Angeles area, which have not been determined, while the knockout stage will be played at the Rose Bowl.
The LA28 Paralympic competitions schedule by day, session and event will also be announced later.
The schedule was created in “extremely close” relationship with the International Olympic Committee and international federations in 36 sports, Shana Ferguson, LA28 chief of sport and head of games delivery, said during a call with reporters.
“We don’t do any of this scheduled development without them, quite frankly, they’re the experts, so we would be foolish to build any schedule without them,” Ferguson said.
Weather conditions were certainly a factor as well, ensuring that athletes, fans and animals, such as horses, weren’t impacted by heat during Southern California’s summer.
LA28 previously announced track and field and swimming would swap their traditional spots on the Olympic calendar, with track and field being held in the first week and swimming in the second week, which officials said was necessary to prepare SoFi Stadium to hold water competitions.
LA28 also has launched a volunteer program for interested residents to help prepare the region ahead of the international event.
Officially called the LA28 Volunteer Program presented by Delta Air Lines, the initiative seeks to engage residents in the Greater Los Angeles area to get involved in volunteer opportunities as soon as this year.
Details related to volunteer positions during the 2028 Games are expected to be shared in 2026.
“We are not waiting until 2028 to tap into Los Angeles’ resilience, generosity and grit,” LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said in a statement. “This unique initiative channels the spirit of volunteerism long before the opening ceremony, and we have the chance to create a model for future host cities, as well as a legacy for Los Angeles and the Games.
“Our hope is that this program can be a catalyst for Angelenos to give back to the city they love, unite across communities and help build a stronger city together,” Hoover added.
Volunteers are essential to the success of the 2028 Games, according to LA28.
Officials noted they launched the volunteer program more than two years ahead of the actual event to offer a variety of opportunities for residents to serve Los Angeles, as well as other areas where competitions will be held such as Long Beach and Inglewood, among other municipalities.
LA28 aims to expand the region’s volunteer base leading up to the Games and create a lasting impact through community volunteerism.
To mark the milestone, LA28 also unveiled a new custom emblem for the LA28 volunteer program. The emblem consists of colorful shapes, representing collaboration and diversity, and a heart at its center, which officials said was a nod to “every volunteer who embodies kindness and selflessness in the name of the greater good.”
Delta Air Lines, a founding partner of the LA28 Games, is also the presenting partner of the volunteer program, serving a key role in launching and sustaining the initiative, according to officials.
“Delta is proud to stand alongside LA28 to launch a volunteer program that reflects the heart of Los Angeles and the spirit of service that defines our people,” Alicia Tillman, chief marketing officer at Delta Air Lines, said in a statement.
“We see this initiative as more than a pathway to the Games — it’s a powerful opportunity to uplift communities, foster connection and leave a lasting legacy of unity and impact across the region,” Tilman said in her statement.
Los Angeles was awarded the 2028 Games in 2017, and since then LA28 employees have participated in more than 100 community events throughout Southern California, according to officials.
Employees joined YMCA, Metro LA, Heal the Bay, and Angel City Sports, among others, for their community and clean-up events. LA28 recently expanded volunteer opportunities to residents in the community by conducting pilot events in October with L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ Shine LA initiative and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to prepare for scaling its volunteer efforts.
“The Games would not be possible without the volunteers who are key in shaping the experience of fans and athletes alike,” Bass said in a statement. “The volunteer program will be another step toward building greater community engagement around the Games.”
To sign up for updates and get involved, more information is available at LA28.org/volunteer.
