Huge changes coming for 2028 LA Olympics – and tennis is set to suffer as result

The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is set to break with tradition, potentially causing a dilemma for Wimbledon tennis stars. With the Paris Games concluding on Sunday, attention has already shifted to the next sporting spectacle on America's west coast in four years' time.

Unlike Paris, the LA Olympics will not follow the same pattern, which may disappoint some traditionalists. Swimming and athletics, often considered the highlight events for many spectators, are due to swap places.

Instead of swimming taking place in the first half of the Games and Athletics in the second, the sports are set to switch positions. In another departure from the Paris format, the LA Games will commence two weeks earlier, running from July 14 to July 30.

This could pose challenges for competitors in tennis and men's football. Tennis stars may face a tough choice between competing at Wimbledon or the Olympics. Wimbledon traditionally occurs in the first half of July. For instance, the 2025 event at SW19 will run from June 30 to July 13.

It remains uncertain whether organisers would consider moving Wimbledon forward to accommodate players wishing to participate in the Olympics. However, such a move could have a domino effect on preceding tournaments, like the French Open.

The forthcoming European Championship, set to be hosted across the UK and Ireland, is also scheduled for the summer of 2028. Spanning from June 9 to July 9, it would pose a significant challenge for players to represent their countries at both the Euros and the Olympics. The Copa America is also slated for that summer, with the host nation and dates yet to be confirmed.

The switch between athletics and swimming venues has been necessitated by the fact that both the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (the athletics venue) and SoFi Stadium (where a temporary 38,000-capacity arena will be built for swimming) are set to host portions of the opening and closing ceremonies, according to AP.

Initially, swimming events were planned to be held at the baseball stadium on the University of Southern California (USC) campus. However, this plan was eventually deemed unfeasible, leading to the decision to move the events to SoFi Stadium, home to NFL teams the Rams and the Chargers.

LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman said: "When it became clear that a temporary pool there [USC] wasn't going to be an option, we started to think about other places and had this big fun idea to see if we could make it work at Sofi."

Meanwhile, Sebastian Coe, chairman of World Athletics, has thrown his weight behind the idea of moving athletics to the beginning of the Games. He said: "We are excited to support this visionary timetable change for LA28. This change underscores our commitment to innovation in athletics and elevating the global profile of our athletes."