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The female 100m title race will take center stage on the first day of events at the LA28 Olympics as part of planners' strategies to “start with excitement”.

The unanticipated decision, resulting in each heat of the 100m taking place on the single day, was welcomed by American track athlete Sha’Carri Richardson, who commented that it showed “the sport is enjoying a resurgence”.

The UK’s Dina Asher-Smith endorsed the change for the Games, scheduled from July 15th to 30th. “What an inspiring moment – marking the sustained heritage, power, and international reach of female sprinters, precisely one hundred years after their Olympic debut,” she noted.

Although sprinters typically compete up to two times daily, World Athletics confirmed it had engaged extensively with athletes to guarantee they were on board the arrangement.

“Being the standout competition on day one in the legendary LA Memorial Coliseum – as we described it to the athletes, enthusiasm grew,” shared Janet Evans, the chief athlete officer. “Many runners responded: ‘Just notify me. Tell me ahead of time, and I’ll train to complete three 100m races in one day.’”

The international federation clarified it had intentionally designed the timetable to allow as many athletes as possible to “enter more than one race”, not only in disciplines such as the sprints but also the 800m and 1500m and the 1500m and 5,000m. The organization stated there would be a decade’s worth of events at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with a co-ed sprint relay premiering, as well as 72 hours 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 schedule makes it unlikely that American athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone can compete in the 400-meter and 400-meter hurdles, because the hurdles semifinals and the 400-meter championship fall on the identical date.

Aquatics has traditionally initiated the Summer Games. But as it is taking place in SoFi Stadium, which hosts the inaugural event, it commences in the following week.

Organisers further stated that day one will include the highest number of female championship events ever in a single day in Olympic history, with the women’s triathlon gold medal among those up for grabs. They arranged a action-packed Saturday on the second-to-last day, with 26 first-place awards across 23 sports at stake.

Shana Ferguson, the head of sport and games delivery for LA28, said the plan is to distribute around 14,000,000 passes across 51 Olympic sports at 49 venues, with public sales starting in April 2026. Ferguson also confirmed that planners would not employ the controversial flexible ticket pricing that provoked outrage among Oasis fans this past summer and was trialled by the football governing body at the international club tournament in the United States.