LA 2028 Olympics adds swimming sprints and mixed-gender gymnastics

Sprint-distance swimming races and mixed-gender events in artistic gymnastics and golf are among the additions to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, after the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) approval of a record 351 medal events on Wednesday.

The LA28 schedule includes the Olympic debuts of the 50m backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly for both men and women, and a mixed 4x100m relay on the track.

The additions are part of a broader push by the IOC to modernize the Olympics and attract new audiences. LA28 will feature 22 more medal events than Paris 2024, while maintaining a total athlete quota of 10,500 across 31 sports.

“These additions reflect our commitment to innovation and gender equality,” an IOC spokesperson said. “They offer thrilling new moments for athletes and fans alike.”

The sprint swimming events bring pure speed to the Olympic pool, with the 50m backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly offering fast-paced races that are already staples at the world championships but have never featured on the Olympic stage. Track and field’s new 4x100m mixed relay adds to the growing lineup of mixed-gender events across the Games, while artistic gymnastics will feature its first mixed team competition – blending male and female routines into a single event.

Several of the new and returning events will unfold in some of Los Angeles’ most prominent venues. Swimming will be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, where 38,000 seats will make it the largest swimming venue in Olympic history. Gymnastics will take place at Crypto.com Arena, home of the NBA’s Lakers, in downtown Los Angeles. Basketball will be played at the LA Clippers’ Intuit Dome, while track and field will remain at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Six new mixed events have been added, including those in golf, rowing (coastal beach sprint), table tennis and archery. Sport climbing will also see its boulder and lead disciplines split into separate medal events after previously being contested as a combined format.

The LA Games have articulated a priority in gender equality. For the first time in Olympic history, the number of female athlete quota spots (5,655) will surpass male quota spots (5,543). The Games will also feature full parity in all team sports, with women’s soccer expanding to 16 teams – four more than the men’s tournament – and water polo adding two women’s teams to match the men’s 12.

Boxing will also achieve full gender parity with the addition of a seventh women’s weight category, equalizing the number of men’s and women’s divisions. In 3x3 basketball, the number of teams per gender will expand from eight to 12.

The IOC received 46 new event proposals from 24 of 31 international federations. The final program was shaped by guiding principles set in 2023, which emphasized global appeal, cost-efficiency, athlete focus and gender balance.

Five sports proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee – baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash – will return or debut in Los Angeles, contributing an additional 698 athlete quota places.

The landmark progress for women athletes came during an online board meeting co-chaired Wednesday from Lausanne by Kirsty Coventry, her first time presiding in the role since being elected IOC president-elect last month. Coventry, a former Olympic swimming champion from Zimbabwe, will formally take over in June from outgoing president Thomas Bach, becoming the first woman to lead the IOC in its 131-year history.

While the 2028 Games will introduce more events than ever before, the IOC maintains that every addition has been weighed for its impact on scheduling, logistics and overall athlete experience.

“The LA28 program reflects a thoughtful balance of tradition and transformation,” the IOC said. “It celebrates excellence while adapting to what the Olympic Games must become.”

The Los Angeles Olympics will be held from 14 to 30 July 2028. The full list of medal events can be seen here.