LA 2028 Olympics: Women’s 100m Final Set for Opening Day
The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games promise to begin in spectacular fashion, with the women’s 100m final taking center stage on the very first day of competition, followed by the men’s 100m final on day two in a bold scheduling move that World Athletics president Lord Sebastian Coe says will ensure the Games “start with a bang.”
Running from 14 to 30 July 2028, the LA28 Olympics will mark a new era of sporting spectacle, featuring 36 sports and 51 disciplines across 49 venues spread across 18 zones in the Los Angeles region and even extending to Oklahoma City.
The historic Games will also feature a record 50.5% female participation, the highest ever in Olympic history, with women’s events taking equal prominence to men’s across all disciplines.
Lord Coe hailed the decision to kick off with sprinting’s blue-ribbon events, saying:
We’ve landed on an athletics programme that will start with a bang as our women’s sprinters take centre stage on day one and then the men’s sprinters on day two to maximise and sustain global interest after the opening ceremony.
British sprint star Dina Asher-Smith, expected to be one of the headline names in the women’s 100m, expressed her excitement at the announcement.
It will be an honour for the women’s 100m to open the LA Games,” she said. “It’s such an exciting opportunity celebrating the enduring legacy, strength, and global power of women’s sprinting, exactly 100 years after women first competed in Olympic track and field. I can’t wait to set the tone for what will be a thrilling and spectacular Games.”
Athletics will be held at the LA Memorial Coliseum, the only venue in the world to host three Olympic Games, while swimming will move to the second week of competition, a historic swap designed to allow the aquatic events to be staged at SoFi Stadium, which will also host part of the dual-venue opening ceremony.
The organisers also revealed plans for a “Super Saturday” on 29 July (day 15), featuring an incredible 26 finals across 23 sports in what is expected to be one of the busiest and most exhilarating days in Olympic history.
The first medal of the Games will come from the women’s triathlon, while the final gold will be decided in swimming, capping off 17 days of world-class competition.
With a strong commitment to equality and innovation, the LA28 Olympics are being billed as the most inclusive and forward-thinking Games yet. Every team sport will feature an equal or greater number of women’s teams compared to men’s, marking a new milestone for gender balance on the world stage.
As Los Angeles prepares to welcome the world for its third Olympic Games following 1932 and 1984, anticipation is already building for what many are calling “The Hollywood Olympics”, where speed, spectacle, and storytelling will combine to deliver an unforgettable show of athletic excellence.