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The female 100m title race will take center stage on the first day of competition at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games as a key element in planners' plans to “launch spectacularly”.

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

Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith endorsed the adjustment for the Games, set from 15-30 July. “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.

While sprinters usually run a maximum of twice a day, the sport’s governing body announced it had sought input broadly with participants to make certain they agreed with the decision.

“Hosting the premier event on the opening evening at the iconic LA Memorial Coliseum – when we explained it to competitors, they were thrilled,” noted Janet Evans, the Games’ chief athlete officer. “Most athletes told me: ‘Simply inform me. Give me advance notice, and I’ll prepare to race three 100-meter events in a single day.’”

The international federation clarified it had deliberately arranged the timetable to permit as many competitors as possible to “double up”, not just in disciplines such as the sprints but additionally the 800m and 1500m and the 1500m and 5,000m. It said that there would be 10 days’ worth of competition at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with a mixed 100m relay making its debut, as well as three days of street competitions at the conclusion of the Olympics.

“We have landed on an athletics programme that will start with a bang as our women’s sprinters take centre stage on day one,” said the World Athletics president, Seb Coe. “It is a schedule that is both innovative but also honours tradition, with the men’s marathon on the final day.”

Yet, the line-up renders it improbable that US sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone can participate in the 400-meter and 400-meter hurdles, since the 400m hurdles semi-finals and the 400m final occur simultaneously.

Swimming has customarily kicked off the Summer Games. Yet because it is occurring in the SoFi venue, which hosts the opening ceremony, it will now start in the second week.

Officials 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 among those up for grabs. They have also scheduled a action-packed 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, noted the plan is to offer approximately 14 million passes across 51 Olympic sports at 49 sites, with public sales due to begin in April 2026. It was also confirmed that planners will not use the contentious variable pricing strategy that provoked outrage among music enthusiasts recently and tested by the football governing body at the international club tournament in the US.