On Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved several additions to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games program, aiming to boost female participation and introduce new events across various sports.
One of the major changes is the expansion of the women’s soccer tournament from 12 to 16 teams, surpassing the men’s 12-team format for the first time in Olympic history. The men’s tournament will continue to feature under-23 players, with up to three overage players allowed per team. Women’s water polo will also grow from 10 to 12 teams, bringing it on par with the men’s competition.
In swimming, the IOC will include 50-meter races in backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly for both men and women, broadening the “splash and dash” events beyond freestyle.
Following its debut in Paris 2024, 3×3 basketball will also expand from eight to 12 teams for both genders. Additional changes include:
A new women’s boxing weight class to ensure gender equality.
Introduction of a coastal beach sprint in rowing for men’s solo, women’s solo, and mixed doubles sculls.
Sport climbing will now feature separate boulder and lead events, instead of combining them as done previously.
Mixed-gender team events will be added in archery, track (4×100-meter relay), golf, gymnastics, rowing, and table tennis.
The IOC emphasized its commitment to gender balance, noting the updated program includes 161 women’s events, 165 men’s events, and 25 mixed events.
Los Angeles 2028 will also see the debut of four new sports cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash alongside the return of baseball and softball, which were last seen at the Tokyo 2021 Games but omitted in Paris.
The women’s Olympic soccer tournament, recently won by the U.S. in Paris for a fifth time, is considered second only to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which expanded to 32 teams in 2023. Meanwhile, swimming’s premier event, the World Aquatics Championships, has included 50-meter races in all strokes since 2001.
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