LA28 Program Draws Reactions from International Federations

The 2028 Olympic Summer Games in Los Angeles will be the third largest in history with 11,198 athletes — even though the International Olympic Committee’s mandate is for no more than 10,500 athletes.

That’s because the 698 athletes that will be participating in baseball, softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse sixes and squash will not count toward the IOC quote, since those sports were added to the program by LA28. With 31 sports, the largest on the program since Tokyo, this week’s approval of the sport program by the IOC led to reactions around the international federation community on the changes that were enacted.

• Aquatics: 50-meter races were added in Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly were added, as well as two women’s water polo teams for a total of 12, same as for the men, so there will be cuts to the number of competitors in other events in these disciplines. World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam said: “Today’s decision is a testament to the continued evolution of swimming at the Olympic Games. Including these six new events enhances the program’s balance and adds more opportunities for athletes to showcase their skills on the world’s biggest stage. We thank the IOC for their support in expanding Olympic swimming and can’t wait to watch these incredible athletes compete under the Southern California sky and stars in SoFi Stadium.”
• Archery: World Archery added Compound bows, a Mixed Team event which means a smaller number of Recurve archers will participate in 2028. World Archery President Ugur Erdener said: “This is a monumental step forward for the sport and for the millions of compound archers worldwide who have long sought Olympic recognition … I am deeply proud of the work of the whole archery community, and our athletes, who have helped make this a reality, and I am so excited to witness what our first Olympic compound archers will achieve in Los Angeles.”
• Athletics: The Mixed 4×100-meter relay has been added to the program, to go along with the Mixed 4×400 relay. The 20 km Walk was replaced with the Half Marathon and the Mixed Team Walk event was eliminated.
• Basketball: The 3×3 events were expanded by four teams each for men and women, adding 32 players, replacing the number used for Breaking in Paris. “The additional quota allows more National Federations and players from all around the world to dream that they can make it from the streets to the Olympics” said FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis. “Los Angeles is one of the world’s most iconic basketball cities and has a thriving 3×3 basketball culture. We are very excited to be once again at the heart of a vibrant, urban sport festival atmosphere during the Games.”
• Boxing: The quota of 248 boxers was maintained, but the number of classes was evened at seven each for men and women. World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst said: “This will be a significant milestone for the sport and is a sign of the enormous progress that has been made in women’s boxing since it was first included in the Olympic program, at London 2012, where there were three weight categories. World Boxing is committed to playing a positive role within the Olympic Movement and we look forward to working closely with the IOC to deliver a boxing competition that will be a fantastic platform for our male and female competitors and showcase all that is great about our sport.”
• Soccer: The format was flipped for LA28 with 16 women’s teams and 12 men’s teams. “FIFA has always believed in the power of women’s football and today’s decision by the IOC Executive Board is a positive step,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “Our vision is clear: we are investing in and expanding opportunities for women’s football at every level. More teams on the Olympic stage means more role models, more inspiration and more impact.”
• A Mixed Team Event was added in golf.
• A new “Mixed Team” event of some kind will be added in Artistic Gymnastics.
• Modern Pentathlon’s quota of 72 was cut to 64, in order to make room for changes elsewhere. “We note with considerable disappointment the decision by the IOC to reduce the LA28 quota for Modern Pentathlon from 72 to 64 athletes,” the UIPM said in a statement. “It is clear that the selection of five new team sports especially for LA28 has created a challenge around overall athlete numbers. The decision is difficult to accept after everything the Pentathlon community has done to help remodel our historic multisport to become a leader in sport innovation, in line with the future direction of the Olympic Games. Modern Pentathlon worked in close collaboration with the IOC throughout this process, making the news even more unexpected. We look forward to further dialogue with the IOC Sports Department on this matter.”
• Rowing Solo and Mixed Double Sculls were added to rowing, replacing the Lightweight class events. “We are pleased with the outcome of the IOC Executive Board’s decision, which confirms the growing presence of Rowing among the core sports at the Games,” said Jean-Christophe Rolland, President of World Rowing. “We are also encouraged by the IOC’s engagement with our vision for the future of the sport, including innovations such as the Mixed Eight and new disciplines such as Coastal Beach Sprints. In a quite competitive context, this gives us strong momentum as we look ahead and continue to evolve our sport in line with the Olympic values.”
• Sport Climbing will now have separate competitions: Speed, Lead and Boulder. IFSC President Marco Scolaris said: “From the very beginning of our Olympic journey we have always had the target of three sets of medals for our athletes. Each of our disciplines has its own unique strengths, and now everyone will see these at LA28. I’m happy to be at this point in our history thanks to a fantastic collaborative effort from so many people. The Climbing community; from the athletes to the spectators to the staff all working together. I’m personally grateful to the IOC and LA28, working together in these last months was a great human and sport experience. LA28 will be an ever-bigger celebration for Climbing.”
• A Mixed Team event was added in table tennis. ITTF President Petra Sörling said “this landmark decision by the IOC Executive Board builds on the incredible momentum table tennis is experiencing and is a testament to its growing universal appeal. After the resounding success of table tennis at Paris 2024, the introduction of the Mixed Team event in Los Angeles marks another historic milestone, fully aligned with our vision of a dynamic, inclusive future for our sport.”
• For the new sports on the program, the format will be later unveiled by the number of athletes competing was approved with six teams in each of the baseball and softball tournaments; six men’s and six women’s teams in flag football, lacrosse and cricket; and 16 men and 16 women’s singles players in squash.