The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will have a program full of new features and five new sports – Aostasports.it

The 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles promise to be an unforgettable one, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially announcing the introduction of five new sports into the Olympic programme. This selection represents a balance between tradition and innovation, with the goal of celebrating the rich sporting heritage of the United States and carrying forward the Olympic spirit throughout the world.

The five new sports that will debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games are: cricket, baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, and squash. This selection includes both absolute retracements and updates. While cricket was part of the Olympic program in Paris in 1900, lacrosse appeared in St. Louis in 1904 and London in 1908. Football and squash, on the other hand, are completely new to the Olympic Games. However, baseball and softball returned to the Olympic edition in Tokyo 2020. IOC President Thomas Bach explained that the selection of these five sports reflects American sports culture and allows the famous sports of the United States to be introduced to the world. United States, while at the same time bringing international sports to the United States.

These sports will help make the LA28 Olympic Games unique and will open new opportunities for the Olympic Movement to engage with athletes and fans from diverse communities around the world. Casey Wasserman, President of LA28, highlighted the extraordinary opportunity to create games that engage not only Los Angeles but the entire world. The sports program reflects this ambition and includes pioneering collaborations with major professional leagues, which will amplify the Olympic and Paralympic story and attract the attention of a wider audience.

These new sports were selected after a detailed process taking into account pre-specified evaluation criteria, including the promotion of gender equality and the use of existing facilities.

It involved a wide range of sporting communities, both in the United States and internationally, and included sports popular in the United States and around the world. In addition, the IOC session approved recommendations regarding modern pentathlon and weightlifting. Modern pentathlon will be included in the LA28 sports programme, thanks to the replacement of equestrian steeplechase racing and the improvement efforts of the International Modern Pentathlon Federation. However, UIPM will need to continue to modernize as an organization.

Weightlifting was included following the International Weightlifting Federation’s decision to delegate anti-doping management to the International Testing Agency. There remains a point of uncertainty regarding Olympic boxing due to the withdrawal of recognition from the International Boxing Association (IBA) by the International Olympic Committee.

A new governing body for Olympic boxing has not been recognized and, therefore, the decision to include boxing in the LA28 sports program has been postponed. In short, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics promises an extraordinary edition with the introduction of five new boxing sports, combining tradition and innovation to celebrate the sporting heritage of the United States and spread the Olympic spirit globally.

These Games promise to be an unforgettable event, where the world will be able to discover and celebrate a wide range of sporting disciplines.