Move Over Boys: It’s a Woman’s World at the 2028 Olympics
- Lauren Gervais
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
More women, more medals and more proof that the future of sports is fabulously female.
The Olympics have always been about breaking records, but in 2028, women are breaking something even bigger: the balance. All eyes are already looking towards 2028, when women will outnumber men on the Olympic stage for the first time.
This marks a monumental moment in history for all women in sports. Whether you’re passionate about a beautiful game, love the feel of hitting a pure iron to the green, or get fired up watching a fierce exchange in a boxing ring, the 2028 Olympics are here to give you all of that and more, brought to life by the top female athletes around the world. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect from this defining moment on the world’s biggest stage.
On April 9, the IOC Executive Board approved the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games competition program. The overall quota of 10,500 athletes remains the same as it has since the 2024 Paris Games, but the ratio of female to male participants has flipped. The Organizing Committee also proposed including other approved sports, which allocated 698 additional quota spots. Overall, there are now 11,198 athletes that will compete in Los Angeles: 5,655 women and 5,543 men.
A count of 351 medal events will take place, 22 more than Paris held in 2024, and six mixed gender events have also been added. In total, we can expect 161 women’s events, 165 men’s events and 25 mixed events to take place in 2028. This could be a result of Kirsty Coventry being elected as the new president of the International Olympic Committee, set to begin her presidency on June 23. As the first female and first African president, she’s already breaking barriers, but she’s also showing up for women all around the world by making this progressive decision for the IOC. An absolute icon!
The LA28 Organizing Committee proposed the inclusion of six sports to be added to their games, which helped bring the quota higher and provide more opportunities for women worldwide. Each sport will bring six teams for both men and women to the games. Baseball and softball will be brought back to the games for the first time since Tokyo in 2020, adding 234 athletes to the quota. Cricket, making only its second appearance at the Olympics since 1900, will bring together 180 athletes. Another sport, only appearing for its third time in history since the 1904 and 1908 Olympics, will be lacrosse, contributing 132 athletes. Finally, flag football and squash will both be making their Olympic debuts in 2028, bringing 120 and 32 athletes, respectively, to the new quota, although squash will have 16 individuals competing for singles in each gendered competition rather than teams.
The additional sports aren’t the only ones raising the athlete quota in Los Angeles. The 3x3 basketball will now have 12 teams rather than eight as they did in Paris, 2024, adding 32 athletes to the mix. Sports climbing is also making a switch in these Olympics by separating the boulder and lead events, increasing their participants by eight.
Many other additions were made within each sport to address the previous gender inequality between participating athletes. Previously seen trailing the number of men’s teams by two in Paris, water polo has added two more women’s teams to bring their teams to 12, the same as the men’s. Boxing also added another weight class to bring gender balance, with seven events for both men and women. Finally, each swimming stroke will now have a 50m event for both men and women.
Yet the most groundbreaking move happened in soccer. After years of repeatedly being asked by FIFA president Gianni Infantino to add more women’s soccer teams, the IOC finally made his (and our) wish come true. Since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, soccer has always had 16 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams, the largest imbalance of any sport participated in by men and women. It started back in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta when women’s soccer was introduced and had half the teams that men had, eight. Infantino never understood this because the women’s national teams have always had the opportunity to send their best players while the men’s teams could not, with the schedule conflicts and commitments to their leagues. Well, for the first time in history, this will no longer be an issue because in the 2028 Games, these numbers will be reversed. You will have the chance to watch 16 women’s teams compete on the field, while there will only be 12 men’s teams. A huge step for women’s soccer and women’s athletics globally.
It’s not just about leveling the playing field for women. Mixed team events are also expanding, highlighting the power of partnership in sport. Because we couldn’t get to this point without the support of those around us, and neither can Olympians.
Archery, artistic gymnastics and table tennis will all have an additional mixed team event along with their individual competitions. In athletics, a 4x100m mixed relay has been added, only the second mixed event in the sport after the 4x400m relay. Rowing has also seen expansion from their women’s Cw1x and men’s Cm1x solo events with the addition of a mixed double sculls Cx2x in the three coastal beach sprints. A sport which is widely considered to be individual will also be adding a mixed team event, golf. Concluding the individual rounds of stroke play, one male and one female golfer from each country will play a mixed event consisting of one round of alternate shot followed by one round of best ball. This will be the first time that golf will have a team event since the St. Louis Olympics in 1904.
With so many changes already in motion, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are shaping up to be the most anticipated Games yet. Featuring a record 36 sports and the largest number of athletes in history, these Games aren’t just going to make headlines, they’re going to make history. But beyond the medals and moments, they are paving the way for true gender balance in sports, starting with a groundbreaking quota: 50.7% women and 49.3% men.
No matter what history has shown or what we’ve come to expect, progress is always possible, and it’s happening now. The rise of women’s sports is here. To the women and girls in sports everywhere: keep showing up and keep speaking out. Because every girl who dreams of gold deserves to know the podium has room for her, too.
Edited by Madison Roost
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