How Many Games in Olympics 2028? Sports, Events, Host and Dates
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How Many Games In Olympics 2028?
The short answer is 36 sports and 353 medal events. Los Angeles will host the Games from July 14 to July 30, 2028. It will be the biggest Olympic programme ever.
The word “games” can mean two things. Some people mean sports. Others mean medal events. This guide covers both. You will also learn who hosts the Games, when they start and what is new at the Paralympics. For an earlier edition, see how many games were in Olympics 2021.
How Many Games in Olympics 2028? Quick Answer
LA28 will have 36 sports and 353 medal events. Here is the simple breakdown:
- Sports: 36 (31 core sports plus 5 added by the organisers)
- Medal events: 353
- Athletes: About 11,200
- Dates: July 14 to July 30, 2028
That is four more sports than Paris 2024. It is also 24 more medal events. Here is how the last three Games compare:
| Olympics | Sports | Medal events |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021) | 33 | 339 |
| Paris 2024 | 32 | 329 |
| Los Angeles 2028 | 36 | 353 |
You may still see 351 events in older articles. The IOC first approved 351 events in April 2025. Later, it added two weightlifting events, which raised the total to 353. For a wider view, read our guide on how many games are in the Olympics.
Full List of Sports in Olympics 2028
Here is the full list of sports that answers how many games in Olympics 2028 in detail. The table also shows the medal events in each sport. Baseball and softball count as one sport.
| No. | Sport | Medal events |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aquatics (artistic swimming, diving, open water swimming, swimming, water polo) | 55 |
| 2 | Archery | 6 |
| 3 | Athletics | 48 |
| 4 | Badminton | 5 |
| 5 | Baseball/Softball | 2 |
| 6 | Basketball (basketball and 3×3 basketball) | 4 |
| 7 | Boxing | 14 |
| 8 | Canoeing (slalom and sprint) | 16 |
| 9 | Cricket | 2 |
| 10 | Cycling (BMX freestyle, BMX racing, mountain biking, road and track) | 22 |
| 11 | Equestrian | 6 |
| 12 | Fencing | 12 |
| 13 | Flag football | 2 |
| 14 | Football | 2 |
| 15 | Golf | 3 |
| 16 | Gymnastics (artistic, rhythmic and trampoline) | 19 |
| 17 | Handball | 2 |
| 18 | Hockey | 2 |
| 19 | Judo | 15 |
| 20 | Lacrosse | 2 |
| 21 | Modern pentathlon | 2 |
| 22 | Rowing (rowing and coastal rowing) | 15 |
| 23 | Rugby sevens | 2 |
| 24 | Sailing | 10 |
| 25 | Shooting | 15 |
| 26 | Skateboarding | 4 |
| 27 | Sport climbing | 6 |
| 28 | Squash | 2 |
| 29 | Surfing | 2 |
| 30 | Table tennis | 6 |
| 31 | Taekwondo | 8 |
| 32 | Tennis | 5 |
| 33 | Triathlon | 3 |
| 34 | Volleyball (beach volleyball and indoor volleyball) | 4 |
| 35 | Weightlifting | 12 |
| 36 | Wrestling (freestyle and Greco-Roman) | 18 |
| Total | Total | 353 |
Swimming has the most events among the aquatics disciplines, with 41. Athletics is the biggest single sport after aquatics, with 48 events.
Who Is Hosting the Olympics 2028?
Los Angeles, in the United States, will host the Olympics 2028. The IOC awarded the Games to Los Angeles in 2017, together with Paris 2024. The official name is the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad.
Los Angeles also hosted in 1932 and 1984. So it will become the third city to host three times, after London and Paris. It will also be the first non-European city to do so.
Not every event will take place in Los Angeles. Softball and canoe slalom will be held in Oklahoma City. Some football matches will take place in other US cities. Olympics.com says the Games will use 49 competition venues across 18 zones. You can follow updates on the official LA28 page on Olympics. To learn more about the next host, read which country hosts the next Summer Olympics.
When Does the Olympics 2028 Start?
The Olympics 2028 start on July 14, 2028. They end on July 30, 2028. That makes 17 days of action.
Two stadiums will share the opening ceremony: the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium. The Coliseum will also host the closing ceremony.
The schedule has one big change. Athletics will take place in the first week. Swimming will follow in the second week at SoFi Stadium.
New and Returning Sports at LA28
The LA28 organisers added five sports for this edition. Here they are:
- Cricket (T20): It returns for the first time since 1900. Both men and women will play, with six teams each.
- Baseball and softball: They return after missing Paris 2024.
- Flag football: This sport makes its Olympic debut. It is a non-contact version of American football.
- Squash: It also makes its Olympic debut.
- Lacrosse (sixes): It returns as a medal sport for the first time since 1908.
Skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing are now part of the core programme. Breaking, however, will not return after Paris 2024.
New Events in Existing Sports
To understand how many games in Olympics 2028 will be played, look at the new events too. Several old sports have fresh medal chances:
- Athletics: A new mixed 4x100m relay
- Swimming: The 50m backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly
- Sport climbing: Boulder and lead become separate medal events
- Rowing: Coastal rowing replaces the lightweight events
- Archery, gymnastics, golf and table tennis: New mixed team events
- Boxing: One extra women’s weight class
- Weightlifting: 12 events, up from 10
Other Big Changes at LA28
LA28 will also change team sizes. Men’s football will have 12 teams. Women’s football will have 16 teams. 3×3 basketball will grow to 12 teams for men and women. Women’s water polo will also have 12 teams.
There are a few name and format changes too:
- The 10km swimming event will be called “open water swimming” instead of “marathon swimming”.
- Men can now join the artistic swimming team event.
- Modern pentathlon is set to replace horse riding with an obstacle course.
These will be the first Games with more women than men. The IOC plans 5,655 women athletes, about 50.5% of the total. Of the 353 events, 161 are for women, 166 are for men and 26 are mixed or open.
Paralympics 2028: What Is New?
The Paralympics will run from August 15 to August 27, 2028, in Los Angeles. Around 4,480 athletes will compete in 560 medal events across 23 sports. Paris 2024 had 549 events in 22 sports.
Here is what is new:
- Para climbing: Makes its Paralympic debut with eight new events. LA28 is the first organising committee to add a sport to the Paralympics.
- Para table tennis and Para triathlon: Each get one new women’s event.
- Para swimming: Gets a new relay for athletes with an intellectual impairment.
- Wheelchair rugby and boccia: Will start before the opening ceremony. This has never happened before.
Para athletics remains the biggest sport, with 164 events. Para swimming follows with 142. New to the topic? Read what the Paralympic Games are.
Key Venues at LA28
The Games will mostly use existing venues. No new permanent venues are being built just for the Olympics. Here are the main ones:
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: Athletics and ceremonies. It also hosted the 1932 and 1984 Games.
- SoFi Stadium: Swimming and the opening ceremony. It will be the largest swimming venue in Olympic history, with space for 38,000 fans.
- Rose Bowl: Football (soccer)
- Rose Bowl Aquatics Center: Diving
- Crypto.com Arena: Gymnastics
- Intuit Dome: Basketball
- Riviera Country Club: Golf
- Santa Anita Park: Equestrian
- UCLA campus: The Olympic Village
Cricket at Olympics 2028: What Indian Fans Should Know
Cricket is the big story for Indian fans. The sport appeared at the Olympics only once before, at Paris 1900. Now it returns in the T20 format.
Both men and women will play, with six teams in each tournament. The matches will take place in Pomona, California. Both tournaments will award a medal. So cricket adds two medal events to the programme.
Tickets and Torch Relay
LA28 expects around 14 million tickets for the Games. That is two million more than Paris 2024. About one million tickets will start at $28, and about one third will cost under $100. The first ticket draw opened in January 2026.
The torch relay is also planned to visit all 50 US states.
Key Takeaways
- The answer to how many games in Olympics 2028 is 36 sports and 353 medal events.
- Los Angeles hosts the Games from July 14 to July 30, 2028.
- Cricket, lacrosse and baseball/softball return, while flag football and squash debut.
- The Paralympics run from August 15 to August 27, 2028, with 560 events in 23 sports.
- Para climbing is the new Paralympic sport.