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The female 100m title race will headline the opening day of competition at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games as part of organisers' plans to “start with excitement”.

The unanticipated choice, which will lead to each heat of the 100m occurring on the identical date, received support by US sprint star Sha’Carri Richardson, who stated that it showed “athletics is stepping into the spotlight”.

The UK’s Dina Asher-Smith supported the change for the Games, scheduled from July 15th to 30th. “It’s such an exciting opportunity – celebrating the enduring legacy, strength and global power of women’s sprinting, exactly 100 years on from the first time women competed in Olympic track and field,” she added.

Although sprinters typically race no more than twice per day, the sport’s governing body confirmed it had consulted widely with athletes to guarantee they agreed with the arrangement.

“Being the standout competition on day one in the legendary LA Memorial Coliseum – as we described it to the athletes, enthusiasm grew,” shared Janet Evans, the chief athlete officer. “Many runners responded: ‘Just notify me. Tell me ahead of time, and I’ll train to complete three 100m races in one day.’”

World Athletics detailed it had intentionally designed the timetable to allow as many athletes as possible to “compete in multiple events”, not just in disciplines like the sprints but also the 800m and 1500m and the 1500m and 5,000m. The organization stated there would be a decade’s worth of events at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with a mixed 100m relay being introduced, along with three days of street competitions at the conclusion of the Olympics.

“We have landed on an athletics programme that will start with a bang as our women’s sprinters take centre stage on day one,” said the World Athletics president, Seb Coe. “It is a schedule that is both innovative but also honours tradition, with the men’s marathon on the final day.”

Yet, the line-up renders it improbable that American athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will be able to compete in the 400-meter and 400-meter hurdles, since the 400m hurdles semi-finals and the 400m final occur simultaneously.

Swimming has customarily kicked off the Summer Games. Yet because it is taking place in the SoFi venue, which hosts the opening ceremony, it begins in the following week.

Officials also confirmed that the first day will showcase the most women’s finals ever in a single day in Games’ history, with the female triathlon title one of the prizes available. They have also scheduled a action-packed Saturday on the second-to-last day, with 26 titles across 23 disciplines available.

An LA28 official, the head of sport and games delivery for LA28, said the aim is to offer approximately 14,000,000 passes across 51 disciplines at 49 sites, with public sales starting in spring 2026. Ferguson also confirmed that organisers will not use the contentious variable pricing strategy that caused anger among music enthusiasts recently and tested by Fifa at football’s Club World Cup in the United States.