What’s New at the LA 2028 Olympics
Five added sports, a record 351 events, a citywide venue map, and a schedule shake-up that moves swimming to week two.
Los Angeles hosts the Summer Olympics for a third time in 2028 (after 1932 and 1984), and this edition brings some of the biggest structural changes in recent memory. Here’s what actually sets LA28 apart.
Five sports added
LA28 adds a slate of sports aimed squarely at American and global youth audiences: flag football, cricket, lacrosse, and squash, alongside the return of baseball and softball. Flag football and cricket in particular open the Games to enormous new fan bases. We break each down in our guide to the new sports.
A record 351 medal events
The program will span a record 351 medal events across 36 sports — the most in Olympic history — with an explicit push toward gender balance across the board.
The athletics / swimming swap
In a genuine break from tradition, LA28 is set to flip the usual order: athletics (track and field) takes the opening week, and swimming moves to the second week. For decades swimming has anchored the first week — so this is a real change to the rhythm of the Games, and it means the marquee track finals and the blockbuster swim finals bookend the seventeen days rather than overlapping.
A Games spread across Southern California
There’s no single Olympic Park. LA28 uses existing venues scattered across the region: the Coliseum in Exposition Park, the football stadium and arena in Inglewood, the Long Beach waterfront cluster, the San Fernando Valley complex, and more — even a couple of events held out of state where the right facility already exists. Our venue guide maps it out.
Quick answers
What new sports are at the LA28 Olympics?
LA28 adds flag football, cricket, lacrosse and squash, and brings back baseball and softball.
How many events are at LA28?
A record 351 medal events across 36 sports — the most in Olympic history, with an explicit push toward gender balance.
Is athletics really before swimming at LA28?
Yes. LA28 flips the usual order: athletics takes the opening week and swimming moves to the second week. Swimming has anchored the first week for decades, so this changes the rhythm of the Games.
Is LA28 building new Olympic venues?
LA28 markets itself as a no-new-permanent-venues Games, using facilities that already exist across Southern California — a deliberately lower-cost, lower-risk model.