Athletes aiming for qualification in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics will encounter significantly stricter entry requirements compared to those for the Paris Games two years prior, as World Athletics announced revised benchmarks for track events on Tuesday, alongside an increased emphasis on world rankings.
The international governing body indicated that approximately 40 percent of competitors will secure their spots based on entry standards, while 60 percent will qualify through world rankings, shifting from the previous 50-50 distribution seen at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The new qualification framework encompasses 23 events for men, 23 for women, and two mixed relays, including the Olympic debut of the 4x100m mixed relay and the 4x400m mixed relay.
The most significant changes are evident in endurance events, where athletes must now meet faster times than those needed for Paris.
- World Athletics has adjusted the men’s marathon standard from 2:08:10 to 2:05:00, which is over three minutes quicker than the Paris requirement, while the women’s standard has been tightened from 2:26:50 to 2:22:20.
- In the men’s 5,000 metres, the qualifying time has been reduced from 13:05 to 12:50, and for women, it has dropped from 14:52 to 14:34.
- The qualification standards for sprint events have also been raised. The men’s 100m standard now stands at 9.93 seconds, down from 10.00, while the women’s mark has changed from 11.07 to 10.96.
- Middle-distance competitors face even more challenging benchmarks, with the men’s 1,500m standard decreased from 3:33.50 to 3:30.00 and the women’s from 4:02.50 to 3:57.50.
World Athletics clarified that simply meeting the entry standard will not guarantee an Olympic spot.
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If the number of athletes who meet the standards exceeds the available quota spots in an event, places will be awarded based on the best performances recorded during the qualification window.
“In this scenario, no athletes will qualify via world rankings,” the organization stated.
For marathon participants, the qualification window is set from November 1, 2026, to April 30, 2028.
The qualification period for the 10,000m, combined events, race walks, and relays will commence on December 19, while all other events will have a qualification timeframe from June 19, 2027, to June 18, 2028.
The athletics events at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics are scheduled to take place from July 15 to July 30 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which will be the central venue for the track and field competitions.
