2028 Olympic Trials awarded to Hayward Field with new, shorter format

The Summer Games are going to be in Los Angeles in less than two years but first, Team USA's track and field athletes will come to Eugene.

The U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials are returning to Hayward Field June 17-22, 2028, USA Track & Field and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced Monday.

It will be the sixth straight U.S. Olympic Trials held in Eugene, joining 2008, 2012, 2016, 2021 and 2024, and ninth overall. TrackTown USA will once again be the local organizing committee.

"TrackTown USA and Eugene's record of success in selecting America's best track and field athletes speaks for itself in the 52 Olympic gold medals U.S. athletes have won since 2008," USATF CEO Max Siegel said. "There is no doubt these Trials will produce a team that is built for L.A."

Every Olympic Trials event since 1992 has used a 10-day format, with two four-day blocks of competition broken up with two rest days – the same format used at the Olympics.

Not anymore.

The 2028 meet has been shortened to six days with the men's and women's 10,000-meter finals, heptathlon and decathlon being contested separately in spring 2028 – the date and location still to be announced – instead of on-site in Eugene during the Olympic Trials.

The marathon trials will be held in St. Louis on March 25, 2028.

A statement from USATF said the revised schedule "follows consultation with athletes who expressed interest in a more efficient selection process, particularly with the Trials taking place less than a month before the Olympic Games."

The track and field portion of the 2028 Olympics are scheduled for July 15-24 inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The Olympic Trials also will take place just one week after the July 7-10 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field.

Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at chansen@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @chansen_RG

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: 2028 Olympic Trials awarded to Hayward Field with new, shorter format