What to Know
- The Olympics will return to Los Angeles for an historic third time in 2028.
- The LA 2028 Olympics Opening Ceremony is July 14, 2028 with competition through July 30, 2028.
- The LA28 Paralympic Games will kick off Aug. 15, 2028 and close Aug. 27, 2028.
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood will host the Opening and Closing Ceremony in a dual-venue celebration.
Southern California’s five counties could see $13 billion to $17 billion in economic impact from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, according to a new report unveiled Thursday.
Los Angeles County would see the largest share, but the region’s other four counties also are projected to see major returns, according to the 2025 Southern California Economic Update. The 72-page report from the Southern California Association of Governments offers analysis and insight on the economic impacts of the Olympics when they return to Los Angeles for a third time.
The report projects $13 billion to $18 billion in regional GDP, the total market value added to the Southern California economy.
Here’s a county-by-county breakdown.
- Los Angeles County: $9 billion to $12 billion
- Orange County: $2 billion to $3 billion
- Riverside County: $1 billion to $1.3 billion
- San Bernardino: $1 billion
- Ventura County: $500 million
“Lots of economic activity, new jobs,” said economist Dr. Wallace Walrod. “Most of those new jobs will be in 2028.”
Walroad said that includes an estimates 36,000 construction jobs, more than 20,000 administrative and support jobs, and tends of thousands of more jobs in performing arts, technical services and food service, according to the report.
Tourism spending is also expected to surge with Olympic visitors behaving differently than traditional tourists.
“They come and spend twice as much per day as a normal visitor, and they stay longer,” Walrod said.
One of the communities hoping to benefit is Long Beach, where several Olympics venues are located.
“Us having 18 events in Long Beach is going to be huge, and it’s going to mean a lot to our workforce,” said Cindy Allen, Long Beach City Council member and the regional organization’s president.
Allen said cities like Long Beach will see lasting benefits from legacy investments in roads, airports and convention centers that will extend well beyond the Olympics.
When are the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics?
The Olympics will return to Los Angeles for an historic third time in 2028.
The LA 2028 Olympics Opening Ceremony is July 14, 2028 with competition through July 30, 2028. The LA28 Paralympic Games will kick off Aug. 15, 2028 and close Aug. 27, 2028.
The organizing committee has released a first look at the competition schedule. Field hockey, basketball, rugby sevens, water polo, handball and cricket will be the first sports to kick off the competition on July 12, two days before the Opening Ceremony.
The first full date of competition, designated Day 1, is July 15. The order of events includes a twist for 2028 with track and field and swimming swapping their typical schedules. Track and field will compete at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the first week of the Olympics schedule with swimming moving to the second week at SoFi Stadium.
The marathons will still be on the final weekend.
The first medal will be awarded in triathlon on Day 1 in Venice Beach. July 29, or Day 15, will be the busiest day on the podium with 16 gold and bronze events in team sports and 19 individual medal events.
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood will host the opening ceremony in a duel-venue celebration. The Paralympic opening ceremony will be at SoFi Stadium with the closing ceremony at the Coliseum.
New for the 2028 Olympics
The program approved for 2028 has 22 more medal events than Paris 2024 at 351.
Mixed team events added for 2028 include artistic gymnastics, athletics (4×100 mixed gender relay), golf, archery (compound bow), coastal rowing beach sprint and table tennis. The competition format for the new artistic gymnastic mixed team event will be finalized and announced at a later date.
The medal competition includes expansions to the field of women’s soccer and water polo event, a new women’s boxing weight class, an expanded 3×3 basketball field, and more medal events in swimming and sport climbing.
Flag football will make its Olympic debut in 2028 and lacrosse will return to the lineup of medal sports for the first time in more than a century. Baseball and softball will make their Olympic comeback, and cricket also will be part of the lineup.
See the full list of medal events here.
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