LA28 reveals full competition schedule with some big surprises

LA28 released the detailed daily competition schedule for the biggest Olympic Games in history on Wednesday, showcasing every event for the 19 days of competition that will feature more than 11,000 athletes in 51 sports.

In addition to being the largest in Games history, the 2028 Summer Olympics will be the first to include more female athletes than men. The program honors this historic moment for women in sport by presenting the women’s 100 meter final at the Coliseum as the prime-time highlight event on the first official day of competition, July 15, 2028.

“The reason we’re dropping the women’s 100 meters from day one is because we want to go into these Games with flying colors,” Shana Ferguson, LA28’s head of sports and head of organizing the Games, said in a conference call. “And it’s likely that this race will be among the most watched of all the races at the Games. We just want to start this first day with a massive, massive showcase of the fastest women in the world.”

The women’s 100 meters final will punctuate the first day of competition which will feature eight women’s finals, the largest number for a single day at the Olympic Games. The men’s 100 meters final will follow on the second day.

Scheduling the women’s final on day one will require top athletes to run up to three 100-meter races in a single day, instead of placing qualifying on a separate day like the semifinals and finals. Olympic organizers presented the idea to the LA28 and World Athletics athlete commissions. While some preferred to maintain the status quo for the women’s 100 meters, LA28 athlete manager Janet Evans said the majority of competitors simply wanted to know when their races would be so they could plan their training accordingly.

“I think a lot of athletes will immediately look at the schedule and plan their training around it,” said Evans, a four-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming. “It was certainly a priority when we made this decision.”

The development of the calendar was the result of extensive consultations with athletes and international sports federations. Organizers took the position of the sun into account for the dive, which will take place outdoors at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center. They wanted to ensure fans waiting to enter arenas wouldn’t be left in the sun during a mid-day contest. Tired of the heat that hits the horses at Santa Anita, they took care to schedule equestrian events early in the morning or in the evening.

While track and field sets the stage in the first week, swimming meets traditionally take place first and were moved to the second week to allow organizers to build an indoor swimming pool at SoFi Stadium after the venue helped host the opening ceremony on July 14.

But in keeping with Olympic tradition, the marathon will still take place on the final weekend of the Games, with the women running at Venice Beach on the 15th day (July 29) and the men on the 16th day (July 30). As one of the final Olympic events, marathon medalists typically receive their medals at the closing ceremony, which will take place at the Colosseum on July 30 from 6 p.m.

The 2028 Games are approaching major checkpoints with less than three years until the opening ceremony. The Paralympic competition schedule will be released later this year. The volunteer program is already open for community opportunities while applications for volunteers during the Games will open in summer 2026. Registration for Olympics tickets will open in January 2026.

Fans can begin registering for the ticket lottery in January and purchase windows for those selected in the lottery will begin in spring 2026. Prices start at $28. Concerned about exorbitant ticket prices for sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup or World Series, Ferguson said LA28 would not use dynamic pricing, but gave no details on pricing.

Ferguson said the organizing committee has 14 million tickets available for the Olympics and Paralympics, which would break the ticket record set by Paris 2024. The biggest Olympics and busiest schedule would justify that type of attendance.

“What a big responsibility this is for us,” Ferguson said of hosting the biggest Olympics in history. “The care and concern that went into putting together this competition schedule – I can tell you that the team members who made it really, truly had a lot of sleepless nights because they wanted this to be perfect for every athlete, no matter the sport.”

LA28 competition dates

Opening ceremony: July 14
3×3 basketball: July 17-22,
Archery: July 21-28
Artistic Gymnastics: July 15-25
Artistic swimming: July 25-29
Athletics: July 15-30
Badminton: July 15-24
Baseball: July 13-19
Basketball: July 12-30
Beach volleyball: July 15-29
Free BMX: July 28-29
BMX races: July 15-16
Boxing: July 15-30
Canoe Slalom: July 14-22
Canoe sprint: July 25-29
Cricket: July 12-29
Cycle route: July 19-23
Cycle path: July 25-30
Diving: July 25-30
Equestrian: July 15-29
Fencing: July 15-23
Flag football: July 15-22
Soccer (Football): July 12-29
Golf: July 19-29
Handball: July 12-28
Hockey (on field): July 12-29
Judo: July 15-22
Lacrosse: July 24-29
Modern pentathlon: July 15-18
MTB: July 15-18
Open water swimming: July 17-18
Rhythmic gymnastics: July 27-29
Rowing: July 15-22
Sprints on the coastal beach with rowing: July 24-25
Rugby sevens: July 12-18
Veil: July 16-28
Filming: July 15-25
Skateboard: July 18-27
Softball: July 23-29
Sport climbing: July 24-29
Squash: July 15-24
Surf: July 15-23
Swimming: July 22-30
Table tennis: July 22-30
Taekwondo: July 26-29
Tennis: July 19-28
Trampoline gymnastics: July 21
Triathlon: July 15-20
Volleyball: July 15-30
Water polo: July 12-23
Weightlifting: July 25-29
Struggle: July 24-30
Closing ceremony: July 30