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World Athletics raises entry standards for LA 2028 Games
World Athletics has raised the qualifying standards for track and field at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, requiring faster performances across events than at Paris 2024. The changes make direct qualification harder and shift more places to world rankings, shaping how athletes will need to compete for Olympic berths.
About 40 per cent of athletes are expected to qualify through entry standards and 60 per cent through rankings, compared with an even split for Paris. The men’s marathon standard falls from 2:08:10 to 2:05:00 and the women’s from 2:26:50 to 2:22:20; the 100m and 1,500m standards have also tightened. Meeting a standard will not guarantee a place if too many athletes achieve it, and qualification windows vary by event. Athletics will run from 15 to 30 July 2028 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
In short
- LA 2028 track and field standards are tougher than Paris 2024.
- Around 60 per cent of places are expected to come via rankings.
- Meeting a standard will not guarantee an Olympic berth.
Explained simply
World Athletics is the international body that sets rules for track and field, including how athletes qualify for the Olympic Games. At each Olympics, competitors can earn places by meeting event-specific performance standards or through their position in world rankings.
The standards set a required time, distance or height, and they differ by event. Olympic places are limited, so meeting a standard may not be enough if too many athletes do so; rankings provide another route, based on athletes’ results in competitions. The system shapes which performances athletes and their national teams need to target on the way to the Games.