The International Olympic Committee (IOC) ultimately approves which sports appear on an Olympic Games programme, working through its governance bodies and in consultation with international federations and host organizers. A host can propose additional sports for its edition, but it cannot add them unilaterally.
How can a new sport enter the programme?
For the 2028 Los Angeles Games, LA28 proposed five additional sports: baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash. The proposal was considered through IOC procedures, and the IOC Session approved those sports in October 2023. That is a concrete example of a host proposal requiring Olympic-level approval.
Sports, disciplines and events are different
A sport is a broad programme category. A discipline is a branch within a sport, and an event awards particular medals, such as a specific race distance or weight class. Adding medal events within an established sport can involve a different approval step from admitting an entirely new sport.
What goes into the decision?
The LA28 programme criteria included cost and complexity, gender equality, athlete wellbeing, integrity, sustainability, global interest and relevance to the host region. Venue needs and the number of athletes also matter, because the Games have operating budgets and participant quotas. Decisions may vary between editions, so approval for one Games is not necessarily a permanent guarantee.
What about the Paralympics?
The Paralympic programme follows a separate process led by the International Paralympic Committee. Treating Olympic and Paralympic sport selection as identical would erase important governance differences. When asking why a particular event is absent, first check whether the decision concerns the sport, a discipline or only one medal event.
