Women's 100m Final Shifted to Opening Day of LA28 Games in Program Overhaul
This female 100m title race will take center stage on the opening day of events at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games as a key element in planners' strategies to “open with a bang”.
This unexpected move, resulting in all three rounds of the 100m occurring on the identical date, was praised by American track athlete Sha’Carri Richardson, who stated that it demonstrated “athletics is stepping into the spotlight”.
Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith supported the change for the Games, scheduled from 15-30 July. “What an inspiring moment – marking the sustained heritage, power, and international reach of female sprinters, precisely one hundred years after their Olympic debut,” she noted.
While sprinters usually race no more than twice per day, the sport’s governing body stated it had consulted widely with competitors to ensure they supported the decision.
“Hosting the premier event on the opening evening at the iconic LA Memorial Coliseum – when we explained it to competitors, they were thrilled,” noted Janet Evans, the Games’ chief athlete officer. “Most athletes told me: ‘Simply inform me. Give me advance notice, and I’ll prepare to race three 100-meter events in a single day.’”
World Athletics explained it had carefully structured the schedule to enable as many competitors as possible to “compete in multiple events”, not just in events including the sprints but additionally the middle-distance runs and the longer track events. It said that there would be 10 days’ worth of competition at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with a co-ed sprint relay premiering, plus 72 hours of street competitions at the conclusion of the Olympics.
“We have landed on an athletics programme that will start with a bang as our women’s sprinters take centre stage on day one,” said the World Athletics president, Seb Coe. “It is a schedule that is both innovative but also honours tradition, with the men’s marathon on the final day.”
Yet, the agenda suggests it’s doubtful that American athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone can run in both the 400m and the 400 hurdles, since the hurdles semifinals and the 400-meter championship occur simultaneously.
Aquatics has customarily kicked off the Summer Games. But as it is taking place in the SoFi venue, which hosts the inaugural event, it begins in the following week.
Planners also confirmed that day one will include the most women’s finals ever in a 24-hour period in Games’ history, with the female triathlon title among those up for grabs. They have also scheduled a action-packed Saturday on the penultimate day, with 26 gold medals across 23 sports up for grabs.
Shana Ferguson, LA28’s chief of sport and games delivery, said the goal is to offer approximately 14,000,000 passes across 51 disciplines at 49 sites, with public availability scheduled to open in spring 2026. It was also confirmed that planners would not employ the contentious dynamic pricing model that sparked criticism among music enthusiasts recently and tested by the football governing body at football’s Club World Cup in the United States.
