For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, athletics will cover the entire period of the Games.
The women’s 100m final, one of athletics’ blue-ribbon events, will kick off at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, with all three heats taking place on the opening day (July 15).
The morning session will feature both a preliminary round featuring the lower ranked athletes and a first round with the semi-finals and finals taking place in the evening session.
World Athletics said “the vast majority of athletes consulted said they would prefer to do all the rounds in one day”, adding that athletes told the governing body that “if they have 2-3 years to plan and prepare for it, they can and will do it”.
Sha Kari Richardson, who secured the world 100m title in Budapest two years ago and will almost certainly be one of the biggest stars at her home Olympics, said:
“Just look at the first day of the Los Angeles Games. I’m locked into accomplishing some personal goals and contributing to help the sport continue to grow and inspire the next generation at home in the U.S. and around the world.”
Dina Usher-Smith, who has won two world medals in the 100m since 2019, in addition to the 200m gold, said: “It will be an honor to open the Los Angeles Games for the women’s 100m. It is such an exciting opportunity. to celebrate the lasting legacy, strength and global power of the Olympic Games in the first years of the Olympic Games for women. Track and field.”
As well as the women’s 100m, men’s 10,000m and women’s shot put finals will also feature in the season opener, followed by a second day of men’s 100m finals.
In total, athletics will be contested for 13 days in 2028. July 15-30. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which hosted track and field at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, will be held for the first 10 days (July 15-24) before the focus shifts to the road events on July 29 and 292. on the final day of the marathon, with medals awarded at the closing ceremony.
The finals will be held in 17 of the 20 sessions, with the schedule giving athletes double chances in events such as 100m and 200m, 200m and 400m (plus relay), 800m and 1500m, 1500m and 5000m, 5000m, jumps, jumps, 001 m, length and jump.
There will also be a new repechage format, which debuted in Paris last summer and sparked heated debate. Athletes will have at least 36 hours between the first leg and the repechage in the 400m and about 24 hours in the 800m and 1500m. The 4x100m medley relay will also make its Olympic debut, switching between the 100m and 200m events.
At this stage, only the distribution of events for each session is finalized. World Athletics will now work with the LA28 Olympic Organizing Committee over the next two and a half years to finalize the detailed schedule.
“In the spirit of collaboration between World Athletics, LA28, Olympic Broadcasting Services, the IOC and NBC as the host broadcaster, we have come up with an athletics program that will start with speed as our women’s sprinters take center stage on the first day and then to increase the interest of the men. Ceremony.
“This is a schedule that is both innovative but also respects tradition, the men’s marathon on the final day, and with one eye on LA84, athletes can dare to dream of emulating the Olympic legends of the past with a compelling offer of potentially double the maximum.”
