Five sports that weren’t part of Paris 2024 are coming to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics: flag football, squash, baseball and softball, lacrosse, and cricket. Flag football and squash will make their Olympic debuts, while the others return after years away. The Games run July 14–30, 2028, in and around Los Angeles.
Key Takeaways
- LA 2028 adds five sports: flag football, squash, baseball/softball, lacrosse, and cricket.
- Flag football is a brand-new Olympic sport, and NFL owners have voted to let their players take part.
- Baseball will be played at Dodger Stadium, while softball moves to Oklahoma City.
- Lacrosse returns for the first time since 1908, and cricket for the first time since 1900.
- Breaking, which debuted at Paris 2024, won’t be part of the LA 2028 program.
LA 2028’s New Sports at a Glance
| Sport | Status | Olympic Format | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flag Football | Olympic debut | 5-on-5; six men’s and six women’s teams | BMO Stadium (Exposition Park Stadium) |
| Squash | Olympic debut | Men’s and women’s singles (16 players each) | Universal Studios lot |
| Baseball | Returns (last played at Tokyo 2020) | Team tournament | Dodger Stadium |
| Softball | Returns (last played at Tokyo 2020) | Six-team tournament | Oklahoma City |
| Lacrosse | Returns (last medal event in 1908) | Sixes: 6-on-6 with a 30-second shot clock | BMO Stadium (Exposition Park Stadium) |
| Cricket | Returns (last played in 1900) | T20; six-team men’s and women’s tournaments | Pomona Fairplex |
How These Sports Got Into the Olympics
Each Olympic host city can propose extra sports for its Games. LA28 proposed these five, and the International Olympic Committee approved them in October 2023. Athletes in these host-added sports don’t count toward the IOC’s overall athlete cap, which is one reason the LA 2028 program could grow.
Flag Football
Flag football is the biggest story of LA 2028 for American fans. No form of American football has ever been an Olympic medal sport. Football appeared only as a non-medal demonstration at the 1932 Los Angeles Games, so 2028 will be a true first.
How it works: Olympic flag football will use a five-on-five format, the same style used by NFL FLAG. There will be six men’s teams and six women’s teams, each with 10 players. Instead of tackling, defenders stop the ball carrier by pulling a flag from their belt.
Will NFL players compete? NFL owners voted unanimously to allow it. The rules allow no more than one player per NFL club on each country’s team, and players must try out or qualify like any other Olympic hopeful. Stars like Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill have said they’d like to represent the U.S. One catch: the Olympics fall around the time NFL training camps open, so the schedule can’t unreasonably conflict with players’ NFL commitments.
Where: Games will be played at BMO Stadium, home of Los Angeles FC, which will be called Exposition Park Stadium during the Olympics.
The NFL has also used flag football’s Olympic spot to help grow the game among girls and women, an area of the sport that has long been dominated by men.
Squash
Squash has waited a long time for this. From 2005 through 2013, it was repeatedly shortlisted for the Olympics but left out each time. At LA 2028, it will finally make its debut, and in one of the most unique settings of the Games: matches will be played on the Universal Studios lot.
Baseball and Softball
Baseball and softball were Olympic medal sports from the 1990s through 2008, then returned for Tokyo 2020 before being left off the Paris program. Both are back for 2028.
Baseball will be played at Dodger Stadium, which also hosted baseball as a demonstration sport at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Softball will be held more than 1,000 miles away in Oklahoma City. Organizers chose that location because Los Angeles’ largest softball stadium only holds about 2,000 fans.
Lacrosse
Lacrosse was an Olympic medal sport in 1904 and 1908, and it appeared as a demonstration event in 1928, 1932, and 1948. Its return in 2028 will use a newer format called sixes.
Sixes is a fast version of the game: six players per side, a smaller field of 70 by 36 meters (about 77 by 39 yards), a 30-second shot clock, and four 8-minute quarters. Each tournament will start with a six-team round robin, followed by medal games.
Cricket
Cricket’s only previous Olympic appearance was at the 1900 Paris Games. At LA 2028, it will return in the short T20 format, with six-team tournaments for men and women at the Fairplex in Pomona, about 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
What’s Leaving: Breaking
Not every recent addition is staying. Breaking, or breakdancing, made its Olympic debut at Paris 2024 but won’t be part of LA 2028. The LA organizers chose not to include it, even though breaking was born in New York. Its world federation hopes it can return at Brisbane 2032.
Other sports are changing, too. Modern pentathlon is replacing horse riding with an obstacle course, and race walking will shrink to a single distance. Read more in our guide to the least watched Olympic sports. If you’re new to these sports, see which ones have the simplest rules, or compare them with the hardest sports in the world. Inspired to try an Olympic sport yourself? Start with our guide to the easiest Olympic sports for beginners.
FAQ
What new sports will be in the 2028 Olympics?
The Los Angeles 2028 Olympics will add five sports that weren’t at Paris 2024: flag football, squash, baseball and softball, lacrosse, and cricket. Flag football and squash will make their Olympic debuts. Baseball and softball return after Tokyo 2020, lacrosse after 1908, and cricket after 1900.
Will NFL players play flag football in the Olympics?
They can. NFL owners voted unanimously to let players compete in Olympic flag football at LA 2028. No more than one player per NFL club can join each country’s team, and players must go through a tryout or qualifying process. Final details depend on talks with the players’ union and Olympic officials.
Is cricket in the 2028 Olympics?
Yes. Cricket returns at LA 2028 for the first time since the 1900 Paris Games. It will use the T20 format, with six-team tournaments for both men and women. The matches will be played at the Fairplex in Pomona, California, east of Los Angeles.
Why isn’t breaking in the 2028 Olympics?
The LA 2028 organizing committee chose not to include breaking on its program, even though the sport debuted at Paris 2024 and was born in New York. Host cities can pick which extra sports to propose, and LA chose others like flag football and squash. Breaking’s federation hopes it returns in 2032.
When are the 2028 Olympics?
The Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics are scheduled for July 14–30, 2028. Most events will take place in and around Los Angeles, but a few will be held elsewhere, including softball and canoe slalom in Oklahoma City.
Sources
- KTLA: Dodger Stadium, Universal Studios Among 2028 Olympic Venues
- NBC Sports: LA 2028 Adds Flag Football, Baseball, Softball and More
- theScore: NFL to Allow Players to Compete in Olympic Flag Football
- Sky Sports: NFL Teams Vote to Permit Players at LA28
- Olympic.ca: Lacrosse at Los Angeles 2028
- Flashscore: New Sports at the 2028 Olympic Games
- NBC New York: Will Breaking Be at the 2028 Olympics?
