This women's 100m final is set to feature on the inaugural day of events at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as a key element in planners' strategies to “open with a bang”.
The surprise move, which will lead to all three rounds of the 100m taking place on the single day, received support by American track athlete Sha’Carri Richardson, who stated that it indicated “track and field is having its moment”.
Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith supported the switch for the Games, scheduled from July 15th to 30th. “This is a thrilling chance – honoring the lasting impact, resilience, and worldwide influence of women’s sprinting, a full century after women first entered Olympic athletics,” she continued.
Although runners normally compete up to two times daily, World Athletics confirmed it had engaged extensively with competitors to make certain they agreed with the decision.
“To be the pre-eminent event on the first night of competition in the historic LA Memorial Coliseum – when we presented it to the athletes that way, there was excitement,” said Janet Evans, the chief athlete officer for the Games. “A majority of athletes said to me: ‘Just let me know. Let me know early, and I’ll start training to run three 100s in one day.’”
World Athletics explained it had carefully structured the program to enable as many competitors as possible to “compete in multiple events”, not just in disciplines such as the 100m and 200m but additionally the 800m and 1500m and the longer track events. Officials confirmed that there would be a decade’s worth of competition at the LA Coliseum, with a mixed 100m relay premiering, plus three days of street competitions at the conclusion of the Olympics.
“Our athletics agenda begins explosively as women’s speedsters lead the way on opening day,” commented Seb Coe, head of World Athletics. “It’s a timetable that merges novelty with heritage, concluding with the men’s marathon.”
Yet, the agenda renders it improbable that US sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone may compete in the 400m and the 400 hurdles, since the 400m hurdles semi-finals and the 400-meter championship occur simultaneously.
Aquatics has traditionally initiated the Olympics. Yet because it is occurring in the SoFi venue, which hosts the opening ceremony, it begins in the following week.
Planners also confirmed that the first day will include the most women’s finals ever in a single day in Olympic history, with the female triathlon title among those up for grabs. They have also scheduled a action-packed Saturday on the second-to-last day, with 26 first-place awards across 23 sports available.
An LA28 official, LA28’s chief of sport and games delivery, said the aim is to sell about 14 million passes across 51 Olympic sports at 49 venues, with general ticket sales starting in spring 2026. Ferguson also confirmed that organisers would not employ the disputed flexible ticket pricing that sparked criticism among Oasis fans this past summer and tested by the football governing body at the Club World Cup in the United States.
