International Olympic Committee news

The event programme and athlete quotas for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (LA28) have been approved by the Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). With a total of 351 medal events, 22 more than at Paris 2024 (329), the LA28 programme maintains the core athlete quota of 10,500, with an extra 698 quota places allocated for the five sports proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee (baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash).

For the first time in history, all team sports will have at least the same number of women’s teams as men’s teams, with water polo adding two women’s teams, making it now 12 women’s and 12 men’s teams.

Football, with 16 female teams, will feature more women’s teams than men’s (12).

Gender equality was a key consideration when deciding on the athlete quota and the number of events. In the initial sports programme, with 10,500 athletes, the number of female athletes is 5,333 and the number of male athletes 5,167. The additional sports add 322 female athletes and 376 male athletes. In addition, six mixed events were added to the event programme. Out of 351 events, there are 161 women’s events, 165 men’s events and 25 mixed events.

A powerful platform for female athletes

• Football: for the first time in Olympic history, more women’s teams (16) than men’s (12) will compete.
• Boxing: an additional women’s weight category ensures full gender parity across events, while maintaining equal numbers of athlete quotas for men and women, as was the case at Paris 2024.
• Water polo: two additional women’s teams will ensure full gender parity in the athlete quota and number of teams.
• Expanded mixed events: archery, athletics (4x100m mixed relay), golf, gymnastics, rowing coastal beach sprint and table tennis will all see the inclusion of a new mixed team event.

New medal opportunities and innovation

• Swimming: the 50m backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke events for both men and women will bring high-speed excitement to the pool at Inglewood Stadium.
• Rowing: women’s solo (CW1x), men’s solo (CM1x) and mixed double sculls (CX2x) will make their debut in coastal beach sprint.
• Sport climbing: boulder and lead events will now be contested as separate medal events, creating new stages for athletes to shine.
• Basketball 3×3: having made its debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with eight teams each for men and women, the event has expanded to include 12 teams per gender.

The full event programme is available here.

Twenty-four out of 31 Olympic International Federations had put forward a request for a change in their event programme from the Olympic Games Paris 2024. In total, 46 new events were requested (16 male / 17 female / 13 mixed), six of which were to potentially replace existing events, making a net total of 40 more events requested. In total, 772 additional quota places were requested for the initial sport and event programme of 10,500 athletes (339 male / 433 female).

The event programme principles

The event programme for LA28 was developed based on the requests submitted by the International Sports Federations to the IOC. The decision from the IOC EB followed the recommendation from the Olympic Programme Commission and the principles approved in 2023, which specified that the Games should be gender equal, globally appealing, cost and complexity conscious, and athlete focused.

LA28 sports programme

With the inclusion of boxing, approved by the IOC Session in March 2025, the LA28 sports programme is composed of 31 sports, with an additional five sports proposed by the Organising Committee and approved by the IOC in 2023.

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International Olympic Committee

International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a not-for-profit independent international organisation that is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 3.4 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

As the leader of the Olympic Movement, the IOC acts as a catalyst for collaboration between all parties of the Olympic family, from the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the International Sports Federations (IFs), the athletes and the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs) to the Worldwide Olympic Partners, broadcast partners and United Nations (UN) agencies, and shepherds success through a wide range of programmes and projects. On this basis, it ensures the regular celebration of the Olympic Games, supports all affiliated member organisations of the Olympic Movement and strongly encourages, by appropriate means, the promotion of the Olympic values.

More from International Olympic Committee

The landscape of women’s sports is up for grabs, and organizations have an unprecedented opportunity to take market share by putting their data to work.

Women’s sports have exploded in popularity, transforming the landscape of athletics and presenting new opportunities for brands to engage with fan bases. Over the last three years, revenue generated by women’s elite sports globally has grown by more than 300% and is poised to continue an upward trajectory in 2025 and beyond. Attendance reached all-time highs at NCAA women’s volleyball and Final Four matchups. Broadcast deals for the National Women’s Soccer League broke records. The number of sponsorships in women’s professional sports increased by 22% in 2024, showing investors are looking more closely than ever at opportunities in this market.

How can women’s sports leaders meet this moment and prepare for a wave of growth to come?

Solid data foundations are often key to successful organizations. In a digital world, marketability comes from being able to understand fan behavior, preferences and engagement levels, and translate that data to sponsors and investors. However, many struggle with this because of how quickly the importance of data has grown and the lack of internal business investment in this area.

The good news is, there are wide-ranging opportunities for women’s sports. Below we dive into what could be holding back women’s sports from optimizing and leveraging their data, share examples of organizations that appear to be making progress, and explore steps leaders can consider to win more.

Invest in operations

Historically, sports leagues have typically focused on building up their roster of players and home venues to attract more fans and sponsors. Today, just having the best players on the best field may no longer be enough — it’s becoming increasingly important to invest in the right talent to run operations as well. Recruiting the right product manager can be just as important as drafting the right power forward.

Consider two properties that have both acquired new star players, leading to notable increases in average game attendance compared to years’ past. The presence of these players has attracted several mid-tier sponsorships, providing a financial boost for both operations. This combination of increased attendance and sponsorship revenue has made both confident they’ll consider this year a success.

As time goes by those sponsors are beginning to ask what kind of engagement their activations are getting across owned platforms. They want to make sure their content is aligned with the right audiences and understand ROI from their investment.

Property No. 1 spent time building up their internal and external product teams to conduct a deep assessment into their existing digital fan experience. They worked with engineers and data scientists to identify how their proprietary insights can be leveraged and analyzed to create value for sponsors, both existing and prospective. This forward-thinking team integrated first-, second- and third-party data to build full-picture insights on fan engagement, reach and campaign effectiveness. Sponsors were delighted by the insights because they proved the right audiences were seeing their messages and they unlocked retargeting opportunities. They grew their campaigns with property No. 1.

Property No. 2 didn’t think much about their product teams or the value of fan data, so when it came time to share insights with sponsors, they could only share basic data fields such as names and emails. Sponsors were not as impressed and wanted more specific audience intelligence — where did these fans live, what kind of income did they have and what other brands did they follow? Without those valuable data insights, and the ability to target customers or engage with fans deeply, they decided not to renew their campaigns with Property No. 2.

Exchanging value for data

Fan data is a new currency in sports, and leagues are adapting to that shift. For example, the WNBA, recognizing a growing fan base, developed a new app that prioritizes easy engagement for both avid and casual fans, while integrating key features such as schedules, game highlights and trends. Short-form content personalized for each fan, based on the team and players most important to them, was designed to help create deeper fan engagement and more monthly users.

By delivering a compelling, personalized digital experience for fans, organizations can be rewarded with more quality data from users.

This was evident at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, when the International Olympic Committee saw its fan engagement numbers balloon after investing in a fan data platform that supports segmentation and personalization capabilities. Strengthening one aspect of their digital operations contributed to a positive feedback loop: data in, personalized messages out. Fan engagement in, diversified marketing and commercial strategies out. At the Milan-Cortina Olympics, the IOC expects to be able to predict which content will resonate most with their fans to inform custom campaigns — ones that understand and celebrate their unique preferences. Applying technology to analyze fan data allows marketers to lean into the multidimensional nature of humans. It can open opportunities for engagement not only around team or athlete performance content, for example, but inspiration, community and entertainment content, too.

Personalization capabilities aren’t just a nice-to-have: Nearly 3 in 4 consumers are more likely to purchase from brands that deliver personalized experiences — and they spend 37% more with those brands. As such, investing in the operational data foundations that make personalization possible is a strategic business move.

Building on momentum

The organizations that can carve out this niche, strive to understand what fans care about most and serve up data as a competitive differentiator will not only rely on players and viewership numbers as their most valuable assets. They are positioning themselves to win more sponsorships and advertising dollars, which could lead to more diversified revenue streams that can secure their futures. And if they’re able to personalize experiences for fans within their own venue walls and owned platforms — they’re opening the door to possibly more engagement and loyalty for women’s sports.

Building an impactful data strategy starts with dedicated tech talent that can solidify foundations and pair multiparty insights. To meet this moment, leaders should conduct a review of their current data capabilities, look for gaps in operational talent, and seek the support of strategic advisers. Data is redefining competition — and at this stage in the game, organizations should be playing offense.

Michelle McGuire Christian is chief commercial officer at Deloitte’s ConvergeCONSUMER and Li-Shen Lee is a principal at Deloitte.

With a dramatic victory in the 4x400m relay, the MIT women’s track and field team clinched the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field National Championship May 24 at the SPIRE Institute’s Outdoor Track and Field facility. The title was MIT’s first NCAA women’s outdoor track and field national championship. The team scored first of 79 with 56 points; runners-up included Washington University with 47 points and the University of Winsconsin at La Crosse with 38 points.

With the victory, MIT completed a sweep of the 2024-25 NCAA Division III women’s cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field titles — becoming the first women’s program to sweep all three in the same year.

MIT earned 20 All-America honors across three days, including the program’s first relay national championship in the 4x400m on Saturday and Alexis Boykin’s eighth career national title with an NCAA record-breaking performance in the shot put on Friday.

On Thursday, Boykin opened the championships with a third-place performance in the discus as MIT quickly moved to the top of the team leaderboard on the first day of competition. Boykin and classmate Emily Ball each earned a spot on the podium. Boykin was third with a throw of 45.12m (148′ 0″) on her second attempt and Ball was seventh with a mark of 41.90m (137′ 5″) on her final throw of prelims.

In the pole vault, junior Katelyn Howard tied for fifth, clearing 3.85m (12′ 7.5″) to pick up three points for MIT. Howard passed on the first height and cleared at both 3.75m and 3.85m, but did not pass the fourth progression. Classmate Hailey Surace was 14th, clearing 3.75m (12′ 3.5″).

Junior Elaine Wang picked up a big point with an eighth-place finish for MIT in the javelin. Wang’s second attempt traveled 40.44m (132′ 8″), moving her into sixth place. She would eventually finish in eighth on the strength of her second attempt.  

The opening day concluded with junior Kate Sanderson finishing fourth with a personal best of 34:48.601 in the 10,000m to earn a spot on the podium, as MIT continued to lead the team standings. 

On Friday, Boykin returned on day two and set the NCAA Division III women’s shot put all-time record, winning her eighth career national championship with a throw of 16.80m (55’ 1/2”). Boykin won the event by over 2 meters, breaking Robyn Jarocki’s NCAA Division III record on her final preliminary attempt with a throw of 16.80m.

MIT wrapped action with the 3,000m Steeplechase final, where sophomore Liv Girand finished in 10th place in 10:58.71 to earn the first All-America honor of her career. MIT continued to lead the team standings at the end of the second day of competition.

On Saturday, Boykin earned her third All-America honor in three events at the championships with a third-place finish in the hammer with a throw of 58.79m (192′ 10”), while junior Nony Otu Ugwu took 10th with a jump of 11.91m (39′ 1″) on her final attempt of prelims. Otu Ugwu did not advance to the final.

MIT shined on the track to secure the title, as grad student Gillian Roeder and senior Christina Crow picked up seven big points in the 1,500m final. Roeder was fifth in 4:27.76 and Crow was one spot back, finishing sixth in 4:28.81.

Senior Marina Miller followed and picked up six more points while earning the first of two All-America honors on the day with a third-place finish and a personal record of 54.32 in the 400m.

Junior Rujuta Sane, Roeder, and junior Kate Sanderson finished 13th, 14th, and 16th, respectively, in the 5,000m. Sane had a time of 16:51.45, with Roeder finishing in 16:54.07 and Sanderson clocking in at 17:00.55.

With MIT leading second-place Washington University by seven points heading into the final event, MIT’s 4×4 relay team of senior Olivia Dias, junior Shreya Kalyan, junior Krystal Montgomery, and Miller left no doubt, securing the team championship with a national title of their own, as Miller moved from third to first over the final 50m to win an electric final race.

The meetings attendees engaged with prominent speakers, addressed key business items, and established ambitious goals for the 2025-26 academic year. The conference’s leadership focused extensively on basketball growth strategies, NIL education and investment strategies, potential House Settlement implementation, and strategic positioning to ensure the OVC remains at the forefront of collegiate athletics evolution.

“We purposely built the agenda for these meetings to ensure we are evolving as intercollegiate athletics continues to change,” said OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche. “The energy and commitment demonstrated by our membership gives me tremendous confidence in our trajectory as we embrace new opportunities and strengthen our position in Division I athletics.”

Recognizing basketball’s pivotal role in Division I athletics, the OVC Board of Presidents engaged in extensive discussions examining growth strategies designed to elevate competitive standards while honoring institutional values and priorities. The Board committed to continuing this important work through a collaborative approach, working directly with institutional leaders to identify appropriate investment levels and strategies that will enhance competitiveness across the conference. This member-focused approach reflects the OVC’s commitment to moving forward together as a unified conference.

To maintain the OVC’s supportive membership culture and commitment to unity while navigating the complexities of the House Settlement, the Board adopted an innovative bifurcated governance resolution. This streamlined framework will allow the conference to operate efficiently while accommodating different institutional approaches and timelines, ensuring that all member institutions remain united and supportive of one another throughout the transition. The framework requires clear classification declarations, established compliance timelines, and maintained institutional responsibility, all while providing conference oversight and support that reinforces the league’s collaborative spirit.

The membership approved significant enhancements to the OVC governance structure, optimizing for maximum effectiveness. The former “Student-Athlete Well-Being, Academic and Policy Cabinet” has been transformed into the “Strategic Initiatives Cabinet,” which will spearhead forward-looking priorities including strategic growth, NIL advancement, professional development, and innovative student initiatives. This cabinet will work alongside the Sports Management Cabinet to drive conference excellence.

 

Demonstrating its commitment to meaningful student-athlete participation, the OVC adopted measures to enhance direct feedback mechanisms within the governance structure. Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) executive committee members will now serve as integral components of the governance framework, and new working group approaches will enable student-athletes to contribute their expertise to areas of particular interest and impact.

 

Following extensive membership interviews and surveys, attendees participated in thorough strategic positioning sessions facilitated by Carolyn Schlie Femovich of the PICTOR Group. This effort represents a significant investment in the league’s future, with interactive sessions focused on charting the OVC’s long-term course and ensuring the conference remains proactive in today’s rapidly evolving collegiate athletics landscape.

 

The meetings featured distinguished speakers who provided valuable perspectives on critical industry developments. Amanda Conklin, NCAA Division I Managing Director, joined virtually to discuss House Settlement implications, proposed changes to Division I decision-making and sports wagering legislation. Matt Banker, attorney and founder of Matt Banker Sports Consulting, led discussions on effective NIL management and legal strategies. NCAA General Counsel Scott Bearby provided essential legal updates on House Settlement developments and NCAA litigation matters.

 

The conference reinforced its commitment to student-athlete welfare through meaningful dialogue with OVC SAAC representatives Peyton Hatfield (Lindenwood) and Duru Sibik (Little Rock), who highlighted key priorities including mental health support, community building, sportsmanship excellence, and NIL opportunities. Mental Health Empowerment Speaker Ivy Watts conducted a session providing practical strategies for supporting student-athlete mental wellness, offering valuable insights for enhancing the overall student-athlete experience.

 

The meetings approved venues for upcoming women’s golf championships and updated the hosting rotation schedule for cross country, outdoor track & field, beach volleyball, and rifle competitions. A complete 2025-26 Championships schedule will be released in the coming weeks.

 

The Conference announced its incoming leadership team with Dr. John Porter, President of Lindenwood University, serving as Chair of the Board of Presidents, while Kelly Wells of Morehead State will chair the Council of Directors of Athletics. SIUE’s Dr. James T. Minor concluded his year as Board chair and Southeast Missouri’s Brady Barke concluded his term as Council chair.

 

The League’s annual Honors Dinner recognized outstanding achievements across the Conference, celebrating OVC Male and Female Athletes of the Year Ray’Sean Taylor (SIUE) and Madolyn Isringhausen (Tennessee Tech), Steve Hamilton Sportsmanship Award winner Meredith Nye (Tennessee Tech), and welcomed two distinguished inductees into the OVC Hall of Fame: Velvet Milkman (former Murray State women’s golf coach and administrator) and Dr. Gail Richard (former Eastern Illinois Faculty Athletics Representative).

Tigers on Tour 2025 is making four stops, including three in the Memphis area and a special trip across the state to Nashville and the Music City. Whether you’re right around the corner or a few hours away, this is your chance to hang out with fellow fans, meet Memphis coaches and staff, and get fired up for the 2025-26 season.

No tickets are required, but to help us with numbers in attendance, please fill out the RSVP links below for each of the first three locations.  

Each stop will begin at 6 p.m., and fans will have the opportunity to:

• Meet Memphis coaches and staff
• Win prizes and giveaways
• Hear updates on the upcoming 2025-26 athletic year
• Learn about key initiatives, including the latest update on Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium renovations
• Purchase tickets and show their support for Memphis Athletics

The tour will feature a panel of Memphis coaches and administrators at each location. Full details on guest speakers will be shared in the coming weeks.

This summer is your chance to be part of the action. Come out, connect with fellow fans, and help us celebrate the future of Memphis Athletics.

2025 Tigers on Tour Stops

• Tuesday, June 17 – Lakeland, Tenn. – Owners Box Sports Grill (9757 Mkt Grn Pl S, Lakeland, TN 38002)
  
  
• Tuesday, June 24 – Southwind – Huey’s Southwind (7825 Winchester Rd, Memphis, TN 38125)
  
• Tuesday, July 8– East Memphis – Brookhaven Pub & Grill (695 W Brookhaven Cir, Memphis, TN 38117)
  
• Saturday, July 19 – Nashville, Tenn. – Location TBD

  • This stop will coincide with the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony that evening, where three Memphis legends – Stephen Gostkowski (Football), Larry Kenon and Ronnie Robinson (Men’s Basketball) – will be inducted into the Class of 2025 at the Omni Nashville at 6 p.m. Former Tiger quarterback Seth Henigan will also be recognized as the Male Amateur Athlete of the Year.
  • If you’d like to attend the induction ceremony, fans can purchase tickets HERE.

 
HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS:
For complete information on Memphis Tigers Athletics, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the department’s social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

MALIBU, Calif. — For the second consecutive year, Pepperdine won the West Coast Conference Women’s All-Sports Award, which was announced by the conference on Wednesday.

This is the seventh time Pepperdine has won the WCC Women’s All-Sport award, which leads all active members of the conference.

Ever since 2001-02, the WCC Women’s All-Sports award has been determined by a point system based on how each school fares in conference play. This year, Pepperdine finished with a score of 51.10 points, ahead of second-place Santa Clara (49.80 points) and LMU (47.80 points).

During the 2024-25 academic year, Pepperdine won two WCC titles and finished in the top half in nearly every sport. The women’s soccer team claimed its fifth regular-season West Coast Conference title and was ranked as high as 13th in the nation during another successful year for head coach Tim Ward. Led by back-to-back WCC Offensive Player of the Year Tori Waldeck, the Waves had 10 different players earn all-conference awards. Pepperdine went 6-1-3 in league play, which included wins over 2023 WCC Champion Gonzaga, Washington State and a draw with No. 10 Santa Clara.

Continuing its string of excellence in WCC play, the Pepperdine women’s tennis team won its 11th consecutive WCC Championship title. Interim head coach Tassilo Schmid‘s squad had four all-conference honorees, led by Co-WCC Freshman of the Year Alexia Harmon and first team selections Anastasiia Grechkina and Vivian Yang. The standard-bearer for mid-major tennis, the No. 25 Pepperdine Waves were the highest-ranked program from outside the Power-4 rankings in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.

Additionally, Pepperdine finished in the top three of the WCC standings in women’s indoor volleyball, women’s golf and beach volleyball.

Women’s All-Sports Award Standings

1. Pepperdine (51.10 points)

2. Santa Clara (49.80)

3. LMU (47.80)

4. Gonzaga (47.70)

5. Saint Mary’s (41.30)

6. Portland (37.40

7. San Diego (34.40)

8. San Francisco (31.80)

9. Pacific (18.15)