The 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles will introduce some new sports and bring back others that have not been part of the Olympics for years.
Flag football, a less-contact form of American football, will make its debut as an optional sport. Squash will also be included in the Olympics for the first time after many years of effort from the World Squash Federation to get it recognized.
Optional sports are those that the host city can choose to add, beyond the core sports set by the International Olympic Committee.
Baseball and softball will return, having previously been part of the Olympics from 1992 to 2008 and again in 2020. Cricket will be featured for the first time since 1900, but this time it will be played in the shorter, more exciting Twenty20 format.
Lacrosse will also make a comeback for the first time since 1948, played in the faster, more compact Lacrosse Sixes format.
These sports were proposed by the LA28 Organizing Committee in 2023 and approved by the International Olympic Committee.
Casey Wasserman, Chairperson of LA28, said, “LA28’s proposed sports capture the imagination on the field and influence culture off it. They’re relevant, innovative, and community-based, played in various settings across the U.S. and the world.”
