With three years to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, the organising committee took the opportunity to release on Monday the first look at the competition schedule, which features some significant changes set to shape the course of the event.
The 2028 Olympic edition is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious and diverse ever held, and will make Los Angeles a host city for the third time in its history, following the Games of 1932 and 1984. It will also be the first time the Californian metropolis hosts the Paralympic Games.
To commemorate this symbolic milestone, LA28 has shared the first details of the competition calendar, designed with the aim of offering a unique experience for athletes, spectators, and global audiences. “We couldn’t be more excited to mark this moment. There is much to celebrate today: from the one million registrations in the LA28 pre-Games legacy through the PlayLA Programme, to the first glimpse of the calendar, which has been developed to ensure the world’s best athletes can compete in Los Angeles. Reaching these milestones energises us, and we remain focused on the work ahead,” said LA28 Chief Executive Officer Reynold Hoover.
For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Games will return to the United States with a schedule designed to suit both domestic and international audiences across the 844 ticketed events. This calendar has been developed in close coordination with multiple strategic partners, such as Olympic Broadcasting Services, the host broadcaster of the Games, and the international federations of each discipline. It has also received approval from the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee, consolidating its official and global nature.
Calendar highlights:
- Opening and closing ceremonies: the opening will take place on Friday, 14 July 2028, shared between the LA Memorial Coliseum and the 2028 Stadium in Inglewood, while the closing ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, 30 July at the LA Memorial Coliseum.
- Historic switch between athletics and swimming: the 2028 Games will begin with a notable boost thanks to the historic change in the order of these two competitions. Athletics will take place during the first week, while swimming will be held in the second.
- Athletics at the LA Memorial Coliseum: the Games will kick off with the world’s fastest athletes competing at the LA Memorial Coliseum, and in keeping with tradition, the marathon events will take place during the final weekend.
- First medal of the Games: It will be awarded at Venice Beach, where the triathlon will open the medal tally on the first day of competition, on the vibrant Los Angeles coast.
- Day 15, the day with the most medals: the competition will feature one of the most memorable weekends in Olympic history, with 16 gold and bronze medals in team sports and finals in 19 individual sports, including swimming. It will be the busiest medal day of the Games.
- Swimming finale: the discipline will close the LA28 Games on Day 16 with the final competition session in one of the most modern and technically advanced stadiums in the world, the 2028 Stadium, setting the stage for the closing ceremony at the LA Memorial Coliseum.
Looking ahead to the Games, the 2028 Olympic competition calendar will continue to evolve as planning progresses. “We are now three years away from the LA Memorial Coliseum hosting the opening ceremony of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, and I am proud that the first medal will be awarded at the iconic Venice Beach,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
