2028 Summer Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Games of the XXXIV Olympiad

One of the many variations of the Los Angeles 2028 logo
Host city	Los Angeles, United States
Events	351 in 36 sports
Opening	July 14, 2028 (in 37 months)
Closing	July 30, 2028
Stadium	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum SoFi Stadium (simultaneous ceremonies)
Summer
← Paris 2024 Brisbane 2032 →
Winter
← Milano Cortina 2026 French Alps 2030 →

The 2028 Summer Olympics, also known as Los Angeles 2028 or LA28, will be a huge international sports event. It will happen from July 14 to July 30, 2028, in the United States. The main host city will be Los Angeles. Some events will also take place in other parts of Greater Los Angeles and in Oklahoma City.

Los Angeles first wanted to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. But after some cities dropped out, only Los Angeles and Paris were left. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) then decided to pick hosts for both 2024 and 2028 at the same time. Paris preferred 2024, so Los Angeles agreed to host in 2028.

Both cities were praised for their smart plans to use many existing and temporary buildings. Los Angeles officially won the 2028 Games on September 13, 2017, in Lima, Peru. This will be the fifth time the United States hosts the Summer Olympics. Los Angeles will be the third city to host the Summer Olympics three times, after London and Paris.

New sports like skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing will now be main Olympic sports. They were first tried out in the 2020 Games. Other sports like boxing, modern pentathlon, and weightlifting were almost removed but are now back.

The 2028 Games will also feature new optional sports. These include flag football and squash. Also, baseball/softball, cricket, and lacrosse will return. This will be the first Summer Olympics led by Kirsty Coventry, the new IOC president.

How Los Angeles Became the Host City

On September 16, 2015, the International Olympic Committee announced the cities wanting to host the 2024 Games. These were Budapest, Hamburg, Los Angeles, Paris, and Rome. Budapest, Hamburg, and Rome later decided not to continue. This left only Los Angeles and Paris.

This situation was similar to when cities bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics. In that case, many cities also pulled out, leaving only Beijing and Almaty. On April 3, 2017, Olympic officials met with Los Angeles and Paris to talk about picking two winners for the 2024 Summer Games.

Choosing Both 2024 and 2028 Hosts

After cities withdrew, the IOC board met in Lausanne, Switzerland, on June 9, 2017. They talked about choosing the 2024 and 2028 host cities at the same time. The IOC approved this idea on July 11, 2017. They then set up meetings with Los Angeles and Paris to decide which city would host each year.

Paris was expected to get the 2024 Games. This would mark 100 years since the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. On July 31, 2017, the IOC announced that Los Angeles was the only city left for 2028. Los Angeles would also get an extra $1.8 billion in funding from the IOC. This allowed Paris to be confirmed as the host for 2024.

On August 11, 2017, the Los Angeles City Council voted yes to the bid. Los Angeles officially won the 2028 Games on September 13, 2017, after a unanimous vote by the IOC. The IOC praised Los Angeles for planning to use many existing and temporary buildings. They also liked that the Games would be paid for by private companies.

On October 16, 2017, the state of California officially supported Los Angeles 2028. In August 2018, Olympic officials visited Los Angeles. They met with local organizers and toured new venues. At that time, polls showed that over 88% of people in Los Angeles supported hosting the Games. In March 2023, a new poll showed 57% of people thought the Olympics would be good for the city.

2028 Summer Olympics
bidding results

City	Nation	Votes
Los Angeles	United States	Unanimous

Planning and Preparations

Transportation Plans

Metro E Line train in Downtown Los Angeles

An E Line train at Expo Park/USC station

A Metro D Line train at Wilshire/Western station

The "Twenty-eight by '28" plan is a big effort by the city. It aims to finish 28 transit projects before the Games begin. Many of these projects were already planned. But they will now be finished faster for the Olympics. In August 2024, Mayor Karen Bass said Los Angeles wants the Olympics to be "car-free." This means people will use public transport instead of driving. This plan hopes to reduce traffic and travel times.

Improvements to public transport are paid for by special taxes. These taxes, called Measure R and Measure M, were approved by voters in Los Angeles County. These taxes were approved before Los Angeles won the Olympic bid. Since the 1984 Olympics, Los Angeles has built a large Metro Rail system.

The Metro D Line will be finished faster to help with the Olympics. This line will connect to the UCLA campus. This will link the Olympic Village and Pauley Pavilion with venues downtown. Construction started in 2014 and is on schedule.

The Regional Connector in downtown Los Angeles was finished in 2023. This project links different Metro lines. It allows direct train service from Santa Monica to East Los Angeles. It also connects Long Beach and the San Gabriel Valley to downtown. A new station near San Dimas will serve mountain bike events.

The K Line opened in October 2022. It connects areas like Crenshaw and Inglewood. The K Line will also connect to a "people mover" train. This train will link Los Angeles International Airport to the Metro system by 2026.

Bus Fleet for the Games

ENC Axess bus operated by LA Metro

Organizers think Los Angeles will need 2,700 extra buses for the Games. This would double the current number of buses. They believe LA Metro can handle this demand. Metro is looking for ways to pay for these new buses. They are also planning to sell the buses after the Games.

Budget for the Games

In April 2019, the estimated cost of the Games was about $6.88 billion. All this money will come from private companies. The budget was adjusted for inflation because Los Angeles agreed to wait four more years to host.

The City of Los Angeles has promised to pay up to $250 million if there are money problems. The state of California will cover the next $250 million if needed. Organizers have also bought many insurance policies. These policies cover things like natural disasters, terrorism, or low ticket sales. The Games are expected to make as much money as they cost. About $2.5 billion will come from sponsorships and almost $2 billion from ticket sales.

Security Measures

The U.S. federal government will handle security for the Games. An agreement was signed in February 2020 with the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The government will cover security costs but not other funding for the Games.

These Olympics are the second to happen in the U.S. since the September 11 attacks in 2001. Like the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, these Games will be a "National Special Security Event." This means the United States Secret Service will lead all security efforts.

On January 15, 2025, President-elect Donald Trump met with organizers. He promised to help Los Angeles recover from recent wildfires. He also pledged to help make these "the greatest games."

Olympic Venues

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (left) and SoFi Stadium (right) will host ceremonies, athletics, and swimming events.

Like the 1984 Summer Olympics, most events will be held around Greater Los Angeles. The city's plan uses many existing buildings. It also uses venues that were already being built or planned. Most venues are grouped into "sports parks" in areas like Downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach. No new permanent venues are being built just for the Games.

The Olympic Village will be at the University of California, Los Angeles campus. The University of Southern California will host the Media Village. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will host track and field events. The Rose Bowl will host football (soccer). Both stadiums will be the first to host three different Olympics.

Crypto.com Arena will host gymnastics. The Intuit Dome will host basketball. BMO Stadium will host the football finals. SoFi Stadium will host swimming events. The Riviera Country Club will host golf.

The Coliseum was renovated from 2017 to 2019. Crypto.com Arena will also be renovated by 2024. The Los Angeles Clippers basketball team opened a new arena, Intuit Dome, in August 2024. This arena will also host basketball during the Games.

In January 2017, it was suggested that the opening and closing ceremonies would be held at both SoFi Stadium and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The plan is for the torch relay to start at the Coliseum. The main opening ceremony will be at SoFi Stadium. The historic Olympic cauldron at the Coliseum will be lit again at the same time. The closing ceremony will be similar, starting at SoFi Stadium and ending at the Coliseum.

To save money, LA28 announced venue changes in June 2024. Swimming events will now be at SoFi Stadium. Artistic swimming will be in Long Beach. Diving will be at the LA84 Foundation/John C. Argue Swim Stadium. SoFi Stadium will be the largest swimming venue in Olympic history. Equestrian events moved to Temecula. Softball and canoe slalom moved to existing venues in Oklahoma City.

In October 2024, organizers said they might host cricket in the eastern United States. This would make game times better for viewers in India, where cricket is very popular.

The Olympic Sports

Skateboarding (pictured), surfing, and sport climbing will be inducted into the core Olympic program, after being selected as discretionary sports at the previous two editions of the games.

The 2028 Summer Olympics will have 351 events in 36 sports. This is more events and sports than the 2024 Summer Olympics. There will be 31 "core" Olympic sports. These include the 28 sports from 2016, plus skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing. These three sports were first optional but are now main sports.

The Los Angeles 2028 team suggested five optional sports. These are baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash. The IOC approved these in October 2023. They want to add sports that are popular locally.

New events will also be added to existing sports. For example, "beach sprint rowing" will replace "lightweight double sculls." Modern pentathlon will change, replacing horse riding with obstacle course racing.

On April 9, 2025, the IOC announced more new events. These include a mixed relay in athletics and new swimming races. There will also be new mixed team archery and golf events. In sport climbing, there will be separate competitions for "boulder" and "lead" climbing. This means more medals for climbing.

Also, 3x3 basketball will have more teams. Women's boxing and water polo will have more events to match the men's. The women's football tournament will grow from 12 to 16 teams. The men's football tournament will shrink from 16 to 12 teams. The 2028 Summer Olympics will be the first to have more female athletes than male athletes.

New and Returning Sports

Since 2020, the Summer Olympics have had core sports that stay the same. They also have up to six optional sports. These optional sports are chosen by the host city to make the Games more interesting locally.

On December 9, 2021, the IOC suggested that skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing become core sports. These sports were very popular when they first appeared as optional sports in 2020 and 2024. They were meant to replace boxing, modern pentathlon, and weightlifting. These three sports had some problems with how they were run.

• The International Boxing Association (IBA) had problems with how it was managed and money. The IOC stopped recognizing them in 2019. Boxing events in 2020 and 2024 were run by an IOC group. A new group called World Boxing was started in April 2023. In June 2023, the IOC removed its recognition of the IBA.
• The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) also had issues with doping and management. Weightlifting was only "provisional" for the 2024 Olympics. In 2022, the IWF elected a new president. He made changes to fix the problems.
• The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) wanted to change modern pentathlon. They wanted to replace horse riding with obstacle course racing. This change came after an incident at the 2020 Olympics where a coach hit a horse. The UIPM approved these changes in November 2022.

In August 2022, the LA Organizing Committee looked at nine sports to be optional events. These included baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash. On October 9, 2023, these five sports were officially suggested to the IOC. All five were approved by the IOC in Mumbai, India. The IOC also brought back modern pentathlon and weightlifting as core sports. They said these sports had made enough changes. The IOC waited on boxing. In February 2025, the IOC recognized World Boxing. On March 20, 2025, boxing was approved for the 2028 program.

Event Schedule Changes

To use SoFi Stadium for both opening ceremonies and swimming, the schedule for swimming and athletics will be swapped. Athletics events will happen in the first week of the Games. Then, SoFi Stadium will be changed to uncover the pool for swimming in the second week. This is the first time since the 1968 Summer Olympics that athletics will be in the first week.

Marketing the Games

Olympic Emblem

On September 1, 2020, the LA28 team showed the logo for the 2028 Summer Olympics. It features the letters "LA" and the number "28." The "A" in "LA" can change. Many different versions were made with athletes, artists, and celebrities. For example, musician Billie Eilish and actress Reese Witherspoon helped create designs.

One version is like the "Stars in Motion" logo from the 1984 Summer Olympics. After the 2024 Games ended, a new logo honoring Kobe Bryant was shown. Bryant was a famous basketball player who won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S. team. He supported Los Angeles hosting the Games before he passed away in 2020. Bryant's wife, Vanessa, designed the logo. Its "A" has a snakeskin pattern and Bryant's "Black Mamba" symbol.

Organizers said the many different logos show the city's creativity. They also celebrate the diversity of Los Angeles. The logo was designed to connect with young people who will be in their 20s and 30s when the Games happen.

Sponsors of the Games

The LA2028 team is working with NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal owns the rights to broadcast the Olympics in the U.S. They will work together to find sponsors for the Games. Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal, will be a "Founding Partner" of LA 2028.

Broadcasting the Games

In the United States, the Games will be shown by NBCUniversal. They have a long-term contract with the IOC until 2032. The Universal Studios Lot is planned to be the main place for broadcasting the Games.

On January 16, 2023, the IOC renewed its TV and streaming deals in Europe with Warner Bros. Discovery. This deal also goes until 2032. Free-to-air TV rights were given to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and its members. Each broadcaster will show at least 200 hours of the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Images for kids

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  Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Olympic Cauldron, used at the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics

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  Night view of Crypto.com Arena (formerly known as Staples Center)

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  Long Beach

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  UCLA student housing site of the Olympic Village

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  BMO Stadium

See also

In Spanish: Juegos Olímpicos de Los Ángeles 2028 para niños