The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently revealed that it would convene an Executive Board meeting on September 8th, during which the decision on the LA28 program is anticipated to be made. Subsequently, the decision would require ratification during the IOC Session scheduled for October 15-17 in Mumbai.
The IOC Executive Board is comprised of IOC President Thomas Bach, four vice-presidents, and ten other members, while the IOC Session represents a general assembly of IOC members.
When contacted for comment, the IOC stated that the ability to propose additional sports is entirely at the discretion of the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games. Proposals are then reviewed by the Olympic Programme Commission before being presented to the Executive Board for a vote during the IOC Session in Mumbai.
Nine sports are vying for inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, including flag football, karate, kickboxing, baseball-softball, lacrosse, breakdancing, squash, motorsport, and cricket. Notably, karate and baseball-softball were part of the Tokyo 2020 Games.
While inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics would guarantee participation for just one edition of the Games, these sports are hopeful that the boost from their inclusion will drive growth and maintain their appeal as part of the Olympic program in the subsequent four-year cycle.
In February 2022, the IOC confirmed the inclusion of 28 “youth-focused” sports for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, which included skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing.
The Paris 2024 Olympics organizers have already added four additional sports to their Games lineup: breakdancing, sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing. Of these, the last three were also featured as additional events at the Tokyo Games.
