The IOC and Los Angeles 2028 Olympics organizers have delayed the announcement of the location of the new sports that will be added for the upcoming Games.
Nine new sports are vying to be added to the schedule:
- Motorsport
- Cricket
- Karate
- Baseball/Softball
- Lacrosse
- Breaking
- Kickboxing
- Squash
- Flag Football
The IOC was supposed to discuss the choice of sports to add at an executive board meeting hosted remotely from Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland. Each host can propose new sports for the Olympic schedule, though ratification by the IOC is required.
“Due to ongoing discussions between the IOC and the (LA2028) Organising Committee, the Olympic Programme Commission has not yet had the opportunity to hold its meeting to prepare its final recommendation for the IOC Executive Board,” the IOC said in a statement.
“As a consequence, the sports programme for the Olympic Games LA28 will be discussed during a later IOC Executive Board meeting, to take place at a date to be decided.”
The IOC has focused on sports with global appeal, especially among younger demographics, and sports with relatively low cost and athlete footprints as part of a mission to increase the sustainability of the Games.
Successful applicants would only be included for one edition of the Games, though among hopefuls, the dream is that an Olympic appearance increases visibility and leads to bigger growth in the sport and future appearances.
A few of the sports on the table have been in the Olympics in the past. Karate and softball/baseball were all part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, though none of those sports will be held in Paris.
Momentum appears to be growing behind cricket. Besides the sport’s massive global appeal, especially in Olympic growth markets like Asia and Africa, American-based Major League Cricket launched in 2023. Huge investments in that scheme from powerful people will undoubtedly catch the attention of Los Angeles organizers.
Baseball/Softball all the way
I predict only cricket and baseball make it.
Bring in an ultramarathon and see who has the greatest endurance. I don’t care if it’s a 100 or 200 mile race, or if it’s a contest throughout the whole Olympic Games to see who can log the most miles.
You ever spectated an ultramarathon on TV?
Would take a lot of creativity to come up with a compelling presentation.
More than I’ve seen other contested sports on TV. Virtually any country could put an athlete in the race. Doesn’t need to be broadcasted continuously but just show highlights and track the race.
World lacrosse will be in a sixes format. they trialed it at the World Games in Birmingham last year. US-Canada are certain to made the gold medal game but expect Australia, Japan, Haudenasounee (Six Nations) to also be competitive. It’s a great way to bring visibility to the oldest sport in North America. Format will likely be a round robin, week long tournament of the top 8 teams in the world. so aside from the five above look for england, israel, and jamaica to be included.
If Motorsport is added I will be immensely disappointed. Baseball and Cricket make the most sense. Karate and kickboxing are also logical if boxing is already on the agenda.
I have no idea how globally lacrosse is played, so I wouldn’t put it at the forefront.
I agree with your take on lacrosse. World Lacrosse only has 86 members. While 86 countries is more than enough for an Olympic field, it implies to me that it’s not quite global enough.
But…if the American hosts get a big say in it, then it makes more sense to me.
The professional scene is pretty lackluster for lacrosse. I would wager the athletes would love for an opportunity to play in the Olympics, unlike other major sports in the US (baseball, basketball, and hockey). While the games conflict with the sports’ seasons (except NBA), there is never much interest from the top athletes to participate.
How does baseball make sense? That sport is a known quantity and is going nowhere. Other than familiarity for a home Olympiad it would be a dead end. With scattered exceptions the rest of the world wouldn’t watch or care.
Flag football fits all the stated criteria. It is a vastly superior game than 3 on 3 basketball, which has already proven popular. The rest of the world doesn’t really know there is a simple backyard version of American football. Grab a ball, a few friends, and run outside. Any small footprint will do.
That sport can explode in popularity given Olympic spotlight. My only beef is that it should be touch football, not flag football. Reduce the variables toward… Read more »
Cricket makes no sense- it is played in about 8 countries, would require huge stadiums and a huge quota of mens and womens players- a quota that will come from sports like swimming,
Waiting for pickleball
Desperately opposed to this.
Pickleball is stupid, and I will gladly die on this hill.