Image credit: LA2028 Organising Committee
Baseball/Softball, T20 Cricket, Flag Football, Sixes Lacrosse and Squash have been officially included as additional sports on the programme for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (LA28).
IOC Session approves @LA28’s proposal for 5⃣ additional sports:
⚾Baseball/🥎softball, 🏏cricket, 🏈flag football, 🥍lacrosse and ⚫squash have been officially included as additional sports on the programme for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028. #LA28 pic.twitter.com/y7CLk2UEYx— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) October 16, 2023
There has also been a reprieve for Modern Pentathlon, with obstacle racing replacing horse riding, and Weightlifting which has agreed to oversight of its drug testing procedures.
No recognition has been granted to a replacement Boxing organisation but there is still hope that it will be included, just not yet.
“The choice of these five new sports is in line with the American sports culture and will showcase iconic American sports to the world, while bringing international sports to the United States,” said IOC president Thomas Bach.
“These sports will make the Olympic Games LA28 unique and their inclusion will allow the Olympic Movement to engage with new athlete and fan communities in the US and globally.”
“I have long believed that we have an incredible opportunity in Los Angeles to create the most compelling Games, not just for us, but for the world. Our Olympic sport programme, in its entirety, reflects this belief,” said LA28 Chairperson Casey Wasserman. “We are excited to embark on game-changing collaborations with major professional leagues that will unlock massive opportunities to amplify the Olympic and Paralympic story and captivate new audiences.”
It’s official! We’ve added brand new sports to our #LA28 Olympic Games lineup.
⚾️ Baseball, 🥎 Softball, 🚩🏈 Flag Football, 🥍 Lacrosse, ⚫️ Squash, 🏏 Cricket
Get more info on LA28’s full Olympic sport program: https://t.co/4CSIlhkBiI pic.twitter.com/c2ZOcy2EK8— LA28 (@LA28) October 16, 2023
The IOC Session also supported the recommendations made by the IOC EB concerning the status of modern pentathlon and weightlifting, which were not part of the initial sports programme for LA28, and with the stipulations outlined above.
The other 28 sports that are part of the LA28 Olympic programme were approved by the IOC Session in February 2022.
The full list of sports now formally approved is as follows:
Aquatics, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Baseball/Softball, Basketball, Canoe, Cricket, Cycling, Equestrian, Fencing, Flag Football, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Lacrosse, Modern Pentathlon, Rowing, Rugby, Sailing, Shooting, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Squash, Surfing, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Weightlifting and Wrestling.
