The International Olympic Committee has approved the updated program of the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Among the five new sports included in the official list is squash, which will receive Olympic status for the first time in history.
Along with squash, the program includes baseball/softball, cricket, flag football and lacrosse. 698 additional quotas (322 women and 376 men) have been allocated for these sports, which is part of the IOC’s efforts to expand the Olympic movement and gender balance.
Squash: from private clubs to Olympic arenas
Squash is a dynamic and intense racquetball game that requires lightning-fast reaction and endurance. It is believed that squash originated in England in the early nineteenth century, and in the 1920s it began to spread rapidly around the world. Over the past decades, it has become an extremely popular sport in Canada, the United States, Egypt, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
Today, more than 20 million people in 185 countries play squash, and the World Squash Federation unites 200+ national federations.
Despite its massive popularity, squash has long remained outside the Olympic program, giving way to other sports. Its inclusion in Los Angeles 2028 is a historic breakthrough that the global squash community has been seeking for more than two decades.
The 2028 Olympics: pushing the boundaries
The Games program now includes 31 sports and 351 disciplines, with a total quota of 10,500 athletes. Full gender parity will be realized in team events, including football and water polo.
New mixed disciplines will be introduced, and the swimming, rowing, climbing and 3×3 basketball programs will be expanded. Thus, the 2028 Olympic Games promise to be one of the most diverse and balanced in history.
For squash fans, this is not just news. This is a victory for an entire generation that has dreamed of their favorite sport finally being at the center of the Olympic movement. Los Angeles 2028 will be their arena.
