1. Los Angeles is hosting the Olympics for the third time

Right after Paris hosted the Olympics for a third time in 2024, so too will Los Angeles in 2028. London is the only other city to complete the trifecta, last hosting in 2012.

2. These are the dates you should block out on your calendar

The LA2028 Olympics will start 12 days earlier compared to the Paris 2024 Olympics, on Friday 14 July. Which is followed by 16-straight days of competition. The Closing Ceremony wraps up the world’s biggest multi-sport event on Sunday 30 July.

3. There’s a never before seen Olympic Opening Ceremony plan

The LA 2028 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony takes place on Friday 14 July and for the first time in Olympic history, the ceremony will be split across two venues - the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Stadium Inglewood.

The Memorial Coliseum was built more than 100 years ago in 1923, to honour those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War I. Its seating capacity was expanded for the 1932 Olympics from 75,000 to 100,000, and after a refurbishment in 2019 it continues to host major events. During the Games it will also stage the Athletics and exclusively host the Closing Ceremony.

About 13km south-west of the Memorial Coliseum is Stadium Inglewood, a spectacular modern venue which can hold more than 70,000. Once it’s hosted the Opening Ceremony, it will be transformed into the largest swimming venue in Olympic history.

4. Watch out for a different looking competition schedule

The Opening Ceremony plan means that swimming events, typically held in the first week of the Games, have been moved to the second week of the Games to allow for the venue to be ready.

This will be a direct switch with Athletics events, which have been brought forward to the first week of the Games.

5. Three sports return to the Olympic program, three make their Olympic debut

Fans of Baseball, Cricket, Flag Football, Lacrosse, Squash and Softball were delighted in October 2023 when their inclusion for the LA2028 Olympics was rubber-stamped.

Find out more about each sport here.

It marks a return for Baseball and Softball, which last appeared together at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021. Baseball only has a men's tournament and softball only has a women's tournament.

For Cricket, it’s an Olympic comeback 128 years in the making. The first and only time Cricket appeared at the Olympics was when a single Test match was played between Great Britain and France at Paris 1900. Team GB won the Test and the gold medal. At LA2028, a men’s and women’s Twenty20 tournament will be played with six nations in each tournament.

6. Australia could send its biggest ever Olympic Team to an overseas Games

With six new sports on the program, five of which are team sports, it’s possible the Australian Team grows significantly from the 467 it was at the Paris Olympics last year. The largest ever Australian Olympic Team for an overseas Games was 482 at Athens 2004.

Sydney 2000 still holds the Australian Team record of 631 Olympians.

Australia’s Paris 2024 Chef de Mission Anna Meares returns as Chef de Mission for Los Angeles 2028.

7. How you can get a piece of the action

Be at LA2028 to experience the thrill of the Olympic Games and show your support for the Australian Olympic Team! Become the first to know about ticketing opportunities by signing up to the official LA2028 ticketing updates from the Los Angeles 2028 Organising Committee.

Fans in Australia can watch the Olympics live on Channel 9 and the Nine Network. Los Angeles is 17 hours behind Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST), which means afternoon and evening events in California will be live in Australia between 5am-5pm AEST.

8. The venues extend beyond California

Thirty-six Olympic sports will be staged at more than 40 competition venues across Southern California and the United States.

LA2028 will be the first Games in 80 years to not build any new permanent venues.

Tune in to the @AUSOlympicTeam Instagram stories today as Paris 2024 Sailing Olympian Zoe Thomson you around Long Beach and Los Angeles.

The central Olympic Village will be on the University of California’s Los Angeles campus.

9. How did Australia fare when they last competed at a Los Angeles Olympics?

Australia rebounded from a difficult Moscow 1980 Olympic Games to win 24 medals in 1984; four gold, eight silver and 12 bronze. Making it the best medal haul since Rome 1960. 

Medals were achieved across Swimming, Athletics, Canoe Sprint, Track Cycling, Rowing, Sailing and Shooting. The 249-strong Australian Team had 174 men and a record 75 women.

Equestrian star Wayne Roycroft was the Opening Ceremony Flag Bearer, making history after his dad, James 'Bill', had the same honour in 1968. Weightlifter Dean Lukin, who emerged as a national hero during the Games, carried the flag in the Closing Ceremony.

Andrew Gaze (Basketball), Jeff Fenech (Boxing), Lisa Curry (Swimming) and Rob de Castella (Athletics) made their Olympic debut.

10. How far has Australia come since the 1932 Olympics in the City of Angels?

Held during the Great Depression, Los Angeles 1932 featured less nations and almost half as many athletes compared to the 1928 Amsterdam Games.

Australia sent a Team of 12 athletes and won five medals; three gold, one silver and a bronze. The Team size for Los Angeles 2028 is on track to be 40 times bigger than the 1932 Team.

Track cyclist Edgar ‘Dunc’ Gray won our nation’s first ever cycling gold medal. Henry ‘Bobby’ Pearce, the only rower on the Team, successfully defended his Olympic title. Clare Dennis, the youngest female swimmer at the Games, was 16 years old when she won gold in the 200m breaststroke.