The program for the Los Angeles 2028 Games was adopted unopposed at last month’s IOC session in Mumbai. However, the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) has made no secret of the fact that it is concerned about the inclusion of five additional sports, including four team sports (cricket, flag soccer, baseball/softball and lacrosse). Its Board discussed the matter on Monday November 13 at its last meeting of 2023. The body explains in a press release that the record number of sports and athletes at the Los Angeles 2028 Games has “raised several questions” among its members. At the top of the list is the share of Olympic revenues paid by the IOC to international federations. ASOIF is concerned that the subsidy may be reduced, although this does not appear to be an issue, as additional sports do not receive subsidies from the Olympic body. But ASOIF says it intends to “raise these urgent issues with the IOC leadership.” Its president, Italian Francesco Ricci Bitti, explains: “In recent years, the nature of the Olympic program has changed, making it more dynamic than ever. New principles, processes and frameworks are needed to deal with this evolution and with important issues such as international federation revenue sharing, athlete quotas, Olympic qualification systems and Games optimization. These are issues that have a significant impact on IF operations and considerable repercussions for the Olympic movement as a whole.”
