Pool Party To Get Bigger At LA28 As New Swimming Events Added

4 Min Read
Image: Getty

Actions in the pool are set to get bigger at the Los Angeles Olympics 2028 as more swimming events have been added. 

The LA28 event programmes  includes the Olympic debuts of the 50m backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly for both men and women, and a mixed 4x100m relay on the track.

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The announcement was made after the approval by  the Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), announced Wednesday (9 April).

That brings the total medal events in swimming to 41 – a climb up from 35 at Paris 2024.

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Olympic champion swimmer Adam Peaty, who claimed gold in the 100m breaststroke at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 in 2021 and a silver in Paris, couldn’t suppress her excitement.

“This is the best result for our incredible sport and will allow more people to be part of it and stay in it much longer,” the British star wrote on Instagram. “I’ve got a good feeling about these next three years.”

Also adding more colours to the pool will be the mixed-gender events in artistic gymnastics which will mark its debut at LA28. 

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Swimming events will unfold at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, where 38,000 seats will make it the largest natatorium in Olympic history.

Pool Party To Get Bigger At LA28 As New Swimming Events Added
Image: Getty

Six new mixed events have been added, including those in golf, rowing (coastal beach sprint), table tennis and archery. Sport climbing will also see its boulder and lead disciplines split into separate medal events after previously being contested as a combined format.

Meanwhile,  the compound mixed team event has also been added to the archery programme in Los Angeles. The compound mixed team competition joins the existing five recurve events – men’s and women’s individual, men’s and women’s team, and mixed team – on the programme, bringing the total number of archery medals available to six.

Also Read: Modern Pentathlon Enters New Era with Inclusion in LA28 Olympics: UIPM

Here are some other key additions of events at LA28: 

  • Rowing: women’s solo (CW1x), men’s solo (CM1x) and mixed double sculls (CX2x) will make their debut in the coastal beach sprint.
  • Sport climbing: boulder and lead events will now be contested as separate medal events, creating new stages for athletes to shine.
  • Basketball 3×3: Expanding from eight teams each for men and women, the event has expanded to include 12 teams per gender.

“These additions reflect our commitment to innovation and gender equality,” an IOC spokesperson said. “They offer thrilling new moments for athletes and fans alike.”

Five sports proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee – baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash – will return or debut in Los Angeles, contributing an additional 698 athlete quota places.

With a total of 351 medal events, 22 more than at Paris 2024 (329), the LA28 programme has the core athlete quota of 10,500, with an extra 698 quota spots allocated for the five sports proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee.