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The women's 100m title race will headline the inaugural day of events at the LA28 Olympics as part of planners' strategies to “open with a bang”.

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 remarked that it indicated “the sport is enjoying a resurgence”.

The UK’s Dina Asher-Smith endorsed the switch for the Olympics, scheduled from July 15th to 30th. “This is a thrilling chance – honoring the lasting impact, resilience, and worldwide influence of women’s sprinting, a full century after women first entered Olympic athletics,” she continued.

Although runners normally compete up to two times daily, the sport’s governing body stated it had consulted widely with athletes to guarantee they agreed with 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 explained it had carefully structured the program to permit as many athletes as possible to “enter more than one race”, not only in events including the sprints but also the 800m and 1500m and the longer track events. The organization stated there would be 10 days’ worth of competition at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with a co-ed sprint relay premiering, along with 72 hours of road events at the end of the Olympics.

“We’ve developed a track and field schedule that kicks off spectacularly with female sprinters in the spotlight on the first day,” stated Seb Coe, World Athletics president. “This programme blends creativity with respect for customs, featuring the men’s marathon on the closing day.”

Nonetheless, the schedule renders it improbable that US sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will be able to participate in the 400-meter and 400-meter hurdles, because the 400m hurdles semi-finals and the 400m final fall on the identical date.

Aquatics has customarily kicked off the Olympics. But as it is being held in SoFi Stadium, where the opening ceremony, it will now start in the second week.

Organisers also confirmed that day one will include 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 arranged a action-packed Saturday on the penultimate day, with 26 gold medals across 23 sports up for grabs.

Shana Ferguson, LA28’s chief of sport and games delivery, explained the plan is to offer approximately 14,000,000 passes across 51 disciplines at 49 sites, with public availability scheduled to open in April 2026. It was also confirmed that planners would not employ the contentious flexible ticket pricing that provoked outrage among music enthusiasts in the summer and experimented with by the football governing body at the international club tournament in the United States.