Los Angeles 2028 set to include 35 sports

Brayden Gallagher, Sports Editor Emeritus

   The 1896 Athens Games, the first edition of the modern Olympics, hosted 240 athletes across nine sports. That number ballooned to more than 10,000 competitors across 32 sports at the most recent Paris Games. While traditional events like swimming, track and field, and gymnastics continue to dominate headlines, several new events have been added by the International Olympic Committee in recent years. 

   The 2020 Tokyo Olympics saw the introduction of surfing, skateboarding, sport climbing, and 3x3 basketball. After successful competitions in Tokyo and Paris, all four sports are set to become permanent Olympic events at the 2028 Olympics hosted by Los Angeles.

   Breaking, or break dancing, will not be as fortunate. From the beginning, breaking as an Olympic sport was somewhat controversial. Although it requires skill and athleticism, breaking was never going to appeal to the sports purist as it walks a thin line between sport and performance art. If that wasn’t enough to doom the event, breaking’s maiden games were embroiled in scandals involving qualifications and corruption centering around Australia’s Ray Gun. It has been axed from the 2028 Olympic calendar, and the “B-Boys” and “B-Girls” likely won't be returning to the olympic village anytime soon. 

   Four other sports will be returning to the Olympics after extended absences. Lacrosse will feature for the first time since 1908. Cricket, despite being consistently ranked as the second most popular sport worldwide, will be returning after a more than 125 year absence. Baseball and softball, which featured in Tokyo before being left off the Paris itinerary, will return as the events will be contested in their country of origin.

   Squash and flag football will both debut in Los Angeles. Squash, which is a racquet sport played on a hard indoor court similar to that of racquetball, is popular in Egypt, the United Kingdom, and parts of the middle east. 

   The introduction of flag football will engage a wider American audience. The NFL has extensively used flag football to market to new audiences, and the 2028 Olympics could see several NFL super-stars competing. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and three time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes has expressed interest in competing in 2028. 

   “I definitely want to, but I’ve seen some of those guys play flag football and they’re a little faster than I am.  I’ll be 31, 32 years old, so if I can still move around then, I’m going to try to get out there and throw the football around, maybe in LA. Just don’t tell Coach Reid,” said Mahomes.