Countdown! Two Years to 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles
The official start of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles is exactly two years away, the Opening Ceremony scheduled for July 14, 2028 between the L.A. Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium. LA28 will mark the third time in which Los Angeles has served as the Olympic host, following previous Games in 1932 and 1984. Only Paris (1900, 1924, 2024) and London (1908, 1948, 2012) have been three-time hosts.
As far as swimming is concerned, the Los Angeles Games will mark the first time in which the 50-meter stroke events are contested. The 50 distances of backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly first joined the World Championships program in 2001, and specialists in those disciplines will soon have the chance to flash their speed on the biggest stage. Their inclusion will arrive seven years after the women’s 1500 freestyle and men’s 800 freestyle were intorduced to the schedule.
Swimming will be held over nine days for the first time, action held in SoFi Stadium during the second week of the Games. For more than 50 years, swimming has been a first-week sport, but with SoFi Stadium being used for the Opening Ceremony, a transition will be necessary for the venue. Competition will begin on July 22 and run through July 30, the 400 medley relays contested as the last events, and not long before the start of the Closing Ceremony. SoFi Stadium is expected to accomodate more than 40,000 spectators for the swimming events, a record for the sport.
If she maintains her distance dominance, the United States’ Katie Ledecky could become the first swimmer and just the second individual to win gold medals in the same event at five straight Olympics. Cuba’s Mijain Lopez (2008-2024) achieved the feat in Greco-Roman wrestling in the 130-kilogram weight class. Ledecky has won gold medals in the 800 freestyle from 2012-2024.
While the 2028 Olympics will officially start with the Opening Ceremony on July 14, competition will get underway from July 10-13, with action beginning in water polo, soccer, basketball, cricket, field hockey, handball, rugby and canoe slalom.
