Started with a bang: the final of the women’s 100 meters moved to the opening day of LA28

The women’s 100m final will headline the first day of competition at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, as part of organizers’ plans to “open with a bang”.

The surprise decision, which will see all three rounds of the 100 meters take place on the same day, was welcomed by American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, who said it showed “athletics is having its moment”.

Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith also supported the move to the Games, which take place from July 15 to 30. “It’s such an exciting opportunity – celebrating the enduring legacy, strength and global power of women’s sprinting, exactly 100 years after the first time women competed in Olympic athletics,” she said.

Sprinters normally run a maximum of twice a day, but World Athletics said it had consulted extensively with athletes to ensure they agreed with the decision.

Janet Evans, the Games’ lead athlete, said: “To be the event of choice on the first night of competition at the historic LA Memorial Coliseum – when we presented it to the athletes in that way, there was excitement. A majority of the 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 said it had designed the schedule so that as many athletes as possible could ‘double up’, not only in events such as the 100 meters and 200 meters, but also in the 800 meters and 1,500 meters, and in the 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters. It said there would be ten days of competition at the LA Coliseum, with a mixed 100m relay making its debut, as well as three days of road events at the end of the Games.

“We have entered an athletics program that will start with a bang as our women’s sprinters take center stage on day one,” said World Athletics President Seb Coe. “It is a schedule that is both innovative and honors tradition, with the men’s marathon on the final day.”

However, the schedule makes it unlikely that American sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will be able to run both the 400m and 400m hurdles, as the 400m hurdles semi-finals and 400m final take place on the same day.

Swimming is traditionally the kick-off for the Summer Games. But because it takes place at SoFi Stadium, where the opening ceremony will take place, it now starts in its second week.

Organizers also confirmed that day one will see the most women’s finals in a single day in the history of the Games, including the gold medal for the women’s triathlon. There is also a Super Saturday on the penultimate day, with 26 gold medals in 23 sports.

Shana Ferguson, head of sport and games at LA28, said the plan is to sell around 14 million tickets for 51 Olympic sports across 49 venues, with public sales starting in April 2026. Ferguson also confirmed that organizers would not use the controversial dynamic pricing model that caused outrage among Oasis fans in the summer and was trialled by FIFA at the Football Club World Cup in the US.