“It will be an honor for the women’s 100 meters to open the Los Angeles Games,” said British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith.
“It’s such an exciting opportunity – to celebrate the enduring legacy, strength and global power of women’s sprinting, exactly 100 years after the first time women competed in Olympic athletics. I can’t wait to set the tone for what will be an exciting and spectacular Games.”
Having the women’s 100m open at the Games means those competing must run three heats in one day, rather than more than two days, but LA28 athlete director Janet Evans said they spoke at length with the athletes and had a “largely positive conversation”.
Athletics will be at the LA Memorial Coliseum, while the first medal event will be the women’s triathlon and the last will be the swimming event.
The swim was moved to the second week so it can be held at the opening ceremony site, SoFi Stadium.
The first official day of the Olympic Games will also include the largest number of women’s finals in a single day.
“The LA28 Olympic Games will feature a record number of Olympians, with each team sport featuring an equal or greater number of women’s teams compared to men’s teams for the first time, with 50.5% of the total athlete quota allocated to women across all 36 sports and 51 disciplines,” organizers said., external
Details of the Olympic soccer tournament, to be held across the United States, and the Los Angeles Paralympic Games, scheduled for August 15-27, have yet to be announced.