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The female 100m final is set to feature on the inaugural day of events at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games as part of organisers' strategies to “launch spectacularly”.

The unanticipated choice, resulting in each heat of the 100m taking place on the same day, received support by American track athlete Sha’Carri Richardson, who commented that it showed “track and field is having its moment”.

Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith also backed the change for the Games, set from 15-30 July. “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.

While runners normally compete up to two times daily, the sport’s governing body stated it had engaged extensively with athletes to guarantee they supported the arrangement.

“To be the pre-eminent event on the first night of competition in the historic LA Memorial Coliseum – when we presented it to the athletes that way, there was excitement,” said Janet Evans, the chief athlete officer for the Games. “A majority of athletes said to me: ‘Just let me know. Let me know early, and I’ll start training to run three 100s in one day.’”

The international federation clarified it had deliberately arranged the schedule to permit as many athletes as possible to “double up”, not only in events like the 100m and 200m but also the middle-distance runs and the 1500m and 5,000m. The organization stated there would be a decade’s worth of events at the LA Coliseum, with a mixed 100m relay premiering, plus three days of road events at the conclusion of the Games.

“Our athletics agenda begins explosively as women’s speedsters lead the way on opening day,” commented Seb Coe, head of World Athletics. “It’s a timetable that merges novelty with heritage, concluding with the men’s marathon.”

Nonetheless, the line-up suggests it’s doubtful that US sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone may participate in the 400m and the 400 hurdles, given the 400m hurdles semi-finals and the 400-meter championship fall on the identical date.

Swimming has traditionally initiated the Olympics. However, since it is being held in the SoFi venue, where the opening ceremony, it will now start in the following week.

Organisers additionally announced that day one will feature the most women’s finals ever in a 24-hour period in Games’ history, with the female triathlon title one of the prizes available. They have also scheduled a mega Saturday on the penultimate day, with 26 first-place awards across 23 disciplines at stake.

Shana Ferguson, the head of sport and games delivery for LA28, said the aim is to offer approximately 14,000,000 passes across 51 Olympic sports at 49 venues, with public sales due to begin in spring 2026. Ferguson also confirmed that planners will not use the disputed dynamic pricing model that caused anger among music enthusiasts in the summer and experimented with by the football governing body at the Club World Cup in the US.