LA Olympics 2028: Every New Sport Detailed

Sadly (or not so sadly), Raygun and her breakdancing skills won’t be making their triumphant return to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles (July 14–30, 2028). However, five new sports are heading to Hollywood for the XXXIV Olympiad. Flag football, lacrosse, squash, baseball/softball, and cricket are the new and returning sports for this Olympics, and we’re breaking them all down in our guide below, including why they’ve been included in the list of sports, the format, the notable nations, and Australia’s medal chances.

New LA Olympics 2028 Sports at a Glance

These are our picks for the best new sports at the Olympics:

• Best overall: Flag Football
• Australia’s best chance at a medal: Cricket

Now, let’s take a closer look at all five of the upcoming LA Olympics 2028 sports.

1. Flag Football

• Reasons for Inclusion:
  • The massive popularity of American football in the U.S.
  • Appeals to youth audiences
  • Backed by the NFL
• Olympic Status: Making its Olympic debut in LA28, approved by the IOC in 2023
• Format: 5-on-5, non-contact, played on a 50-yard field, 20-minute halves
• Governing Body: International Federation of American Football (IFAF)
• Notable Nations: USA, Mexico, Austria, Japan, Italy
• Australia Medal Prospects: The USA is the favourite, Australia improving but is unlikely to medal

It wouldn’t be a new Olympics without the host city gifting themselves a few medals. The United States invented flag football in World War II where soldiers would play it for fun. Now, it’s making its debut at LA28 after being approved by the IOC in 2023. If you’re familiar with American football (or gridiron) then this will be easy to follow. Flags are attached to the ball carrier’s waist (two on each side, one on the back) and then you run plays until you end up in the opposition’s defensive endzone or you run out of “downs.” We expect this sport to be one of the most popular at LA28, and if your friends complain about NFL games taking too long, this could be the antidote.

2. Squash

• Reasons for Inclusion:
  • Strong global participation (over 180 countries)
  • Emphasis on agility, endurance, and mental strength
  • IOC push for inclusivity and diverse disciplines
• Olympic Status: Making its Olympic debut, the long-standing candidate was approved in 2023
• Format: Singles matches (men’s and women’s), played on a glass-walled court
• Governing Body: World Squash Federation (WSF)
• Notable Nations: Egypt, England, Malaysia, France, India
• Australia Medal Prospects: Very good, multiple world champions (Michelle Martin, Geoff Hunt)

Racquets walked so squash could run. The sport, which is also derived from tennis, was denied in multiple past Olympics (London, Rio, Tokyo) before finally being accepted for LA28. It’s one of the best casual sports to play with friends, but how it works as an Olympic sport remains to be seen. Like flag football, it was approved by the IOC in 2023, and by all accounts, Australia has a pretty good chance of winning a medal with several world champions available for our rosters. Egypt, England, Malaysia, France, and India are some of the top competitors.

Like all great Olympic sports, the rules of squash are not hard to understand. Players hit a ball against a wall until one of them scores 11 points (clear by two points) and wins a game. Win three games and you win the match.

There are sections where the ball must be hit for service (at a height of 1.78m) and the outline is positioned at 4.57m and slopes down on the side walls to 2.13m with the tin (minimum height off the ground) at 43cm. Like ping pong, the ball can only bounce once on the ground. Like swimming, we can’t wait to become armchair experts in squash.

3. Baseball/Softball

• Reasons for Inclusion:
  • Deep cultural roots in the U.S.
  • Huge North American and Asian following
  • Strong local fanbase in California
• Olympic Status: Returning after Tokyo 2020 (absent in Paris 2024)
• Format: Separate men’s (baseball) and women’s (softball) competitions
• Governing Body: World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC)
• Notable Nations: USA, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Cuba
• Australia Medal Prospects: Bronze in Athens 2004, strong performances in world tournaments

Baseball (and softball) is back! The bat-and-ball sport will return to LA28 after being left off the draw for Paris, and we couldn’t be more excited to see Japan and the USA in the finals again. While Australia’s chances of beating the USA, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, and Cuba are slim, like basketball, we’re at least in with an outside chance of a medal so watching the men in baseball and women in softball is a must.

There are a few key differences between softball and baseball worth mentioning. First, the ball in softball is soft (duh) but there’s also a shorter distance to run between bases (18m vs. 27m) making it an intense game to watch. The pitcher stands on a flat circular area in softball (not a mound like baseball) and they’re required to throw underarm. Most pitchers choose to use a windmill-like action that can generate speeds of over 100km/h. Baseball games last for nine innings, and softball lasts for seven. The team with the most runs wins.

4. Cricket

• Reasons for Inclusion:
  • Massive global audience (over 2.5 billion fans)
  • Growing popularity in the U.S., driven by immigrant communities
  • Strategic move to boost Olympic viewership in India, Pakistan, and the UK
• Olympic Status: Returning after 128 years (last appeared in 1900 Paris Games)
• Format: T20 (Twenty20) format – 20 overs per side, men’s and women’s competitions
• Governing Body: International Cricket Council (ICC)
• Notable Nations: India, Australia, England, Pakistan, South Africa
• Australia Medal Prospects: Very high for both men and women

Cricket returns as an Olympic sport for the first time in 128 years (it last appeared in the 1900 Paris Games), and Australia has a very good chance of winning a gold medal. We’ll have to get past India, England, Pakistan, and South Africa to have a chance, but our recent form has been exceptional, and we hope it will continue into 2028 when the Olympics roll around. It will be played in T20 format, with 20 overs per side. The team batting second must score more runs than the team that batted first, and do so without losing all 10 wickets. It’s a simple sport, and will surely confuse a few Americans who are used to seeing pitchers throw the ball from a mound.

5. Lacrosse

• Reasons for Inclusion:
  • North American origins and growing global presence
  • Exciting, high-scoring nature appeals to younger audiences
  • Support from U.S. and Canadian federations
• Olympic Status: Returning to the Olympics for the first time since 1908
• Format: “Lacrosse Sixes” – a fast-paced 6-on-6 format, 30-minute games, smaller field
• Governing Body: World Lacrosse
• Notable Nations: USA, Canada, Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Australia, England
• Australia Medal Prospects: One of the top favourites alongside Canada

Lacrosse is back at the Olympics for the first time since 1908. It was previously a demonstration sport in 1928, 1932, and 1948, but it now makes a triumphant return to the land of the free, home of the brave. The USA is a likely medal favourite, but we wouldn’t be surprised to find Canada, England, and Australia in the mix too. Like others, we would love to see the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (made up of six Indigenous nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora)) in the competition, as they invented the sport.

If this is your first time watching lacrosse, it might look familiar to field hockey and ice hockey. The game being played at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will be sixes lacrosse, which is played on a 70m x 36m pitch, and features the same goals located 10m in from the end-lines. This is a different game to field lacrosse, which is played on 100m x 55m pitch. The winning team is the one that scores the most goals, but if it’s tied the game will go to four-minute periods of sudden-death overtime where the first team to score wins.

Why Were These Sports Chosen for LA28?

Choosing a sport for an upcoming Olympic Games is a lengthy process. First, the sport must comply with the Olympic Charter, the World Anti-Doping Code, and the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competition to be eligible. Then, it’s weighted against other sports based on the following factors:

• How big is the global reach?
• Does it have well-established rules?
• What ethical considerations should be made?
• Does it promote gender equality?
• Is it cost-efficient to run?
• What is the sport’s environmental impact?

Finally, once all of these factors have been considered, the organising committee of the host come together and proposes the new sports to the IOC’s Olympic Programme Commission who will then issue a recommendation to the IOC Executive Board. If these are approved, they will then be presented to the IOC Session for final approval.

What Sports Missed the Cut for LA Olympics 2028?

Notably, breakdancing won’t return for the LA Olympics in 2028. However, this was already decided upon by the host, Los Angeles, before Raygun went on stage.

Karate and kickboxing are two more sports that won’t be at LA28. They join a list of sports that haven’t returned, including the underwater swim, 200m obstacle swim, and even hot air ballooning, which was a sport played at the Olympic Games in 1900. American Football was also played two times at St.Louis in 1904 and in Los Angeles in 1932, but it’s since been replaced by Flag Football.

Complete List of All 36 Sports at LA28

There are 36 sports at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, here’s a list of them all:

• Aquatics (Swimming, Diving, Artistic Swimming, Water Polo)
• Archery
• Athletics
• Badminton
• Baseball/Softball (Returning)
• Basketball (incl. 3×3)
• Boxing
• Canoe (Sprint & Slalom)
• Cricket (T20) (Returning)
• Cycling (Road, Track, BMX, MTB)
• Equestrian (Jumping, Dressage, etc.)
• Fencing
• Flag Football (New)
• Football (Soccer)
• Golf
• Gymnastics (Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline)
• Handball
• Hockey (Field)
• Judo
• Lacrosse (Sixes format) (Returning)
• Modern Pentathlon
• Rowing
• Rugby Sevens
• Sailing
• Shooting
• Skateboarding
• Sport Climbing
• Squash (New)
• Surfing
• Table Tennis
• Taekwondo
• Tennis
• Triathlon
• Volleyball (Indoor & Beach)
• Weightlifting
• Wrestling (Freestyle & Greco-Roman)