The Paris Olympics have concluded, with Team USA claiming gold in women’s basketball on the final day of competition. Over the span of 16 days, the Games showcased popular sports such as swimming and gymnastics, while introducing breaking as a new sport that brought fresh excitement to the event.
Fans eagerly engaged in the breaking competitions held on Friday and Saturday, leaving many to speculate if the sport will return in four years for the Los Angeles Summer Olympics. Despite the prevailing popularity of most sports from Paris, breaking has been excluded from the Los Angeles 2028 program, alongside a long-standing sport that has been part of every Olympics since 1948.
Here are the upcoming changes to the Olympic sports program for 2028:
Departing Sports:
Breaking
Breaking was included in the Olympic lineup for the first time in Paris as an optional sport, but it will not feature in Los Angeles in 2028. A total of 33 athletes from 16 nations competed in Paris, including four from the United States, potentially marking the only Olympic medals awarded in the sport.
Boxing
While breaking will officially leave the Olympic roster, boxing’s status remains uncertain due to ongoing corruption allegations against the International Boxing Association, the governing body responsible for the sport until 2020. As a result of its provisional status during the last two Olympics, boxing may not be included in the upcoming Games unless a new governing body is established.
New Sports:
Six new sports are set to join the Olympic program in Los Angeles, with flag football and squash making their debuts. Flag football will feature both men’s and women’s divisions, played in five-on-five format on a 50-yard field. Squash, a racquet sport played by singles or doubles in a four-walled court, has finally gained Olympic approval after numerous attempts by the World Squash Federation.
Returning Sports:
Four sports will also make their return, including baseball and softball, which were not featured in the Paris Games. Baseball, initially a permanent sport in 1992 and dropped after 2008, will return as an optional sport from Tokyo. Softball last appeared in 2008, before its comeback in Tokyo 2020, and will now participate in Los Angeles, although games will be held in Oklahoma City.
Lacrosse will return to the Olympics as an official medal sport for the first time since 1908, with 6-on-6 tournaments taking place in Los Angeles. Additionally, cricket, contested only once in the 1900 Games, will also make its return with details on the format forthcoming.
Finally, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing will transition from optional to permanent events for the 2028 Olympics, according to the International Olympic Committee.