What to Expect from the LA 2028 Olympics

By Will Brown Contributor Updated: 30 December 2024

Will Brown Contributor

William Brown is a Content Writer with strong expertise in US and global gambling industry trends. Having covered the local sports betting market since the repeal of PASPA in 2018, William approaches his gambling guides with passion and diligence. He is a keen player of online slots, blackjack, and a regular sports bettor.

See Full Bio

Guide to the LA Olympics 2028

The LA Olympics is set to be the largest US sporting event in a generation, with the city again hosting the Summer Games after more than 40 years. As planning and construction get underway, details have emerged on what viewers can expect from the event. There’s little doubt that the city’s take on the games will have a special Hollywood flare, but what permanent changes are set to impact the economy of its host city? We’ve explored all of this and more in this guide.

Intro to the LA Olympics 2028

To get this guide started, we’ve explored some interesting background details about the LA Olympics 2028, including its bid and previous history as a host. From there, we’ve discussed the confirmed venues that are either standing or are under construction.

We’ve continued by discussing the new or returning sports, before discussing the creative ambitions of the opening ceremony and its broadcasting. To round out this guide, we’ve looked at how the games are set to impact local infrastructure and sustainability goals, as well as their social and economic advantages.

• Background of the Event
• The Confirmed Venues
• The Olympic Sports
• The Opening Ceremony
• Broadcasting the Games
• Infrastracture and Sustainability
• The Economic and Social Impact

Background of the LA Olympics

In 2028, Los Angeles will join London and Paris as being the only cities to host the Olympic Games three times. It first hosted the games in 1932, followed by the groundbreaking 1984 Summer Olympics. The latter is considered to have changed how the games are run, with its opening ceremony planned with high production values that are now commonplace.

It was also the first privately funded Olympics that turned a profit, which changed how the Games’ business model operated. Los Angeles’ bid for the event began in 2014 when it initially applied for the 2024 Olympics. While this was granted to Paris in 2015, LA was awarded the 2028 games at the same time.

The city was considered an attractive candidate by organizers due to its state-of-the-art sporting infrastructure and capacity for high tourist volumes. It is also experienced in hosting large-scale events. The LA Olympics has a budget of around $7 billion and is expected to generate a profit of $1 billion.

The Confirmed LA Olympics 2028 Venues

There have been 40 LA Olympics 2028 venues confirmed to host more than 800 events over the Olympics. Amazingly, this will be the first time in the history of the Games that no new permanent venues will be built to host it. Los Angeles’ massive volume of quality infrastructure has not only saved it money but also helped meet the event’s new sustainability mandates.

To meet the current guidelines, the arenas and stadiums will not use their corporate names during the event. The main venue for Athletics will be the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, making it the only stadium in history to host Track and Field contests in three Olympics.

Since LA bid for the Games, several new stadiums have opened. This includes the groundbreaking SoFi Stadium, the 70,000-seat marvel which will host the opening and closing ceremonies. The Crypto.com Arena will host indoor events such as gymnastics, while the iconic Long Beach will host several watersports.

As for the Olympic Village, the UCLA campus will be transformed to host thousands of athletes. While no new stadiums are being built for the games, there has been a sizable budget to complete renovations to modernize the LA Olympics locations.

The Summer Olympic Sports

There will be at least 35 sports categories held at the LA Olympics 2028. As expected, this will include swimming, track and field, gymnastics, and watersports. Several sports are returning that haven’t been played in years, including softball, Twenty20 cricket, lacrosse, and most exciting, baseball.

Baseball first became a medal sport at the 1992 Barcelona Games but has appeared intermittently since then. This will be particularly special for US fans to view live. As for new sports, flag football and squash will make their Olympic debut in Los Angeles. These were added due to their popularity in grassroots competitions.

As for the sports that won’t be returning, organizers for LA28 have only discarded breaking. The sport made its debut at the Paris 2024 Games but caused controversy and ridicule from viewers. Bettors at betting sites with Summer Olympics markets are set to benefit from one of the largest sporting rosters of all time.

The Opening Ceremony Plans

Already, the organizers of the Los Angeles Summer Games have proven that they want to be creatively innovative. While an official LA Olympics logo was revealed in 2020, there are more than 40 commissioned variations of the design, with musicians like Billie Eilish and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers releasing their spins on the emblem.

We expect that the opening ceremony will be an even more staggering display of the city’s creative scene that could rival Beijing’s 2008 showcase. Currently, no director or choreographer has been announced publicly to take the reigns, but considering its scale, it will already be in an advanced pre-production phase.

It will likely follow London’s lead in awarding a film director the role, just as Danny Boyle was for the 2012 ceremony. The opening ceremony will take place on July 14, 2028 at SoFi Stadium, with some events taking place at the Memorial Coliseum.

Broadcasting the Games

Another huge benefit of the LA Olympics is the number of industry-standard film studios available to provide cutting-edge broadcasting. Not only will spectators be able to benefit from watching events on high-definition screens, but we expect that the Games will showcase the latest in production technology to give it a cinematic flair.

Other advancements that are set to shake up the Games will be the use of integrated augmented and virtual reality, marking an Olympics first. These will be activated both during the games and during the cultural events surrounding the games, with numerous exhibitions, performances, and sporting events planned.

The Games will be broadcast on NBC as it has been since 1988. The International Broadcast Centre will be hosted on the Universal Studios Lots to ensure stable global broadcasting. Online streaming will be available through NBC’s paid subscription service Peacock.

Infrastructure and Sustainability Initiatives

One of the benefits of the pre-existing LA Olympics 2028 venues is that minimal investment is required to support the sporting events. However, when it comes to logistics, the city has needed to invest to ensure that visitors can easily navigate the notoriously traffic-jammed city.

This has seen major transportation projects funded, including expansions of the Metro line and upgrades to LAX airport. The Metro Purple Line has been extended to connect downtown LA with the Westside with seven new stops, while Olympics lanes on the freeways will help athletes move between the venues.

Bike lines have also been rapidly built, as well as new bus lines. As for visitors, the Games have been hailed as being a no-cars Olympics, which is staggering considering the city’s inhabitants are heavily reliant on cars. This is a part of the new sustainability mandates of the Olympics, which require host cities to take affirmative action to reduce their carbon footprint.

Following in Paris’ footsteps, the organizers have pledged to eliminate single-use plastic consumption, source food locally, and even power the event on 100% renewable energy. Even more amazing, though, is the LA Olympics’ commitment to being the first carbon-negative Games in history.

The Economic and Social Impact

The LA Olympics 2028 is set to have profound economic impacts on the city, with thousands of jobs created to not only run the event but also in the related city upgrades. It’s predicted that up to $18 billion in economic output is associated with the event, which includes the projected operating costs of $7 billion.

However, with the previous Olympic Games going notoriously over budget, this figure will likely increase as the date nears. Already, $20 billion has been spent on upgrading the city’s bus and train network, and LAX is set to undergo a $14 billion upgrade. Current predictions see the city generating a profit of $1.8 billion from the Games.

Another important metric to consider, though, is the social impact of the games. The once-in-a-generation investment in public infrastructure will positively change how the city operates, as will greater investment in its roads and town planning.

The PlayLA initiative will also invest in the next generation of local athletes, with organizers pledging $160 million to youth sports programs. This will provide affordable sports programs to more than 100,000 children and adolescents per year. Launched in 2023, the program has already been immensely successful, proving that the Games are already having tangible benefits for Los Angeles.