More than 13,000 young athletes turned out at 180 sites across the United States on June 23, 2026, for LA28’s annual Day of Sport, the highest participation rate since the event was launched in 2023, according to LA28’s Day of Sport press release. The day, staged to coincide with National Olympic and Paralympic Day, ran at 120 PlayLA sites in Los Angeles, in seven LA Venue Cities, and for the first time in Oklahoma City and three LA28 Olympic Football (Soccer) Tournament host cities.
LA28 Chief Athlete Officer Janet Evans framed the expansion as a national moment in the LA28 release. “LA28’s Day of Sport going national reflects the growing excitement across the country as we prepare for the Olympic and Paralympic Games to return to the U.S. in just two years,” she said. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tied the day to LA28’s broader youth sports commitment, pointing to a $160 million joint investment from LA28 and the International Olympic Committee in the city’s PlayLA program.
The Pico-Union Anchor Site
The Salvation Army’s LA Red Shield Community Center, in Pico-Union just west of Downtown Los Angeles, served as one of the headline Day of Sport sites. Evans joined more than 200 young athletes there alongside Olympians Nadia Comaneci, Bart Conner, Reginald Jagers, Nick Itkin, and Mariah Bell, and Paralympians Jamal Hill and Ileana Rodriguez, per LA28’s announcement.
The day at the center opened with a Parade of Nations and an Opening Ceremony. Participants then rotated through sport activations in Basketball, Flag Football, Football (Soccer), Athletics (Track & Field), Para Swimming, and Water Polo. A Closing Ceremony followed, with select young athletes receiving commemorative medals.
Every participant also left with a soccer ball or football, an LA28-branded Nike T-shirt, and a swim cap supplied by DICK’S Sporting Goods, LA28’s Official Sporting Goods Retail Provider. The medals drew on the seven shared Olympic and Paralympic values of determination, inspiration, courage, friendship, excellence, respect, and equality.
Four Cities Joined the Map for the First Time
For the first time, Day of Sport events also took place in Oklahoma City and in three LA28 Olympic Football (Soccer) Tournament host cities: Nashville, Tennessee; Columbus, Ohio; and San José, California. The 2026 footprint stretched from Pico-Union to Oklahoma City to those three tournament sites. Even then, the Games themselves remain just over two years out.
Similar activities ran at partner community organizations’ summer camps, including YMCA Metro LA, Science of Sport, Angel City Sports, Los Angeles Cricket, Southern California Youth Cricket Academy, American Heart Association, Shoes That Fit, and RiverSport in Oklahoma City. LA28 coordinated the day with more than 30 community organizations.
- Carson, Inglewood, Long Beach, Pasadena, Pomona, Arcadia, Anaheim: LA28 Venue Cities
- Oklahoma City: First-time Day of Sport host
- Nashville, Columbus, San José: LA28 Olympic Football (Soccer) Tournament host cities
PlayLA Is the Youth Wager Behind Day of Sport
Behind the Day of Sport sits a $160 million joint commitment from LA28 and the International Olympic Committee to youth sports in Los Angeles. That money funds PlayLA, a city of Los Angeles youth sports initiative that delivers high-quality, affordable programming for children of all abilities ahead of the 2028 Games. LA28 calls it “California’s largest commitment to youth sport development,” and PlayLA itself is run through the LA Recreation and Parks Department.
Investing in our youth and expanding access to sports is a top priority as we prepare to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. LA28’s Day of Sport and programs like PlayLA have played an important role in empowering the next generation of athletes and ensuring that children in every neighborhood have the opportunity to learn, grow and build confidence through the power of sport.
Bass tied the day to LA28’s broader youth sports commitment in the LA28 release, which ties both directly to LA28’s Impact and Sustainability Plan. Outside the U.S., the International Olympic Committee activated its Let’s Move 2026 campaign toolkit on the same June 23 date under the theme “You Can Do This,” encouraging young people worldwide to take a first step into sport.
LA28 said Day of Sport celebrations would continue throughout the week following the June 23 kickoff, with partner sites running additional activities under the same Olympic and Paralympic framing.
What 180 Sites Looked Like on June 23
LA28 coordinated the day through more than 30 community organizations, including the partners listed above, across 180 sites. At the 120 PlayLA sites in LA, the program’s standard programming took on Olympic and Paralympic framing for the day. At partner summer camps, kids rotated through adapted and traditional sport activations.
LA28’s gift list for participants included soccer balls and footballs, LA28-branded Nike T-shirts, and swim caps from DICK’S Sporting Goods. The commemorative medals, distributed at Closing Ceremonies across the network, drew on the seven shared Olympic and Paralympic values, which LA28 lists as determination, inspiration, courage, friendship, excellence, respect, and equality.
- $160 million: joint LA28 and IOC investment in LA youth sports
- 120: PlayLA sites in Los Angeles that hosted Day of Sport
- 30+: community organizations coordinated by LA28 for the day
- 13,000+: young athletes at 2026 Day of Sport (a record since 2023)
- 7: Olympic and Paralympic values reflected in the commemorative medals
Two Years From the LA28 Games
The Day of Sport numbers land just over two years before the 2028 LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which LA28 says will bring together more than 15,000 of the world’s athletes in Los Angeles. Flag football’s rise to the LA28 Olympics runs through one of the new sports on the 2028 program, with flag football on the day’s activity list at the Pico-Union anchor site.
LA28 frames the 2028 Games as a host city milestone: Los Angeles will become the third city ever to host three Olympic Games, following 1932 and 1984, and will also host its first-ever Paralympic Games. The 2028 programme will be the first Olympic Games in history to allocate more quota spots to women athletes than men. It is also the first Games since 1948 to not build any new permanent infrastructure.
Operating as an independently funded, non-profit organization, LA28 has built its funding base around commercial partnerships, licensing, hospitality, and ticketing, with the support of the International Olympic Committee. LA28 described the 2026 turnout as the highest participation rate since the event’s 2023 launch.
LA28 said Day of Sport celebrations would continue throughout the week following the June 23 kickoff.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the LA28 Day of Sport?
LA28’s Day of Sport is an annual youth sports initiative that LA28 has run every year since 2023. It is staged each year on June 23 to coincide with National Olympic and Paralympic Day in the United States, and it brings Olympic and Paralympic-themed sport activations to community sites across the country.
How many young athletes participated in the 2026 Day of Sport?
More than 13,000 young athletes participated in the 2026 LA28 Day of Sport, according to LA28. The organization called the turnout the highest participation rate since the event’s inception in 2023.
What is PlayLA?
PlayLA is a city of Los Angeles youth sports initiative focused on providing high-quality, affordable programming for children of all abilities ahead of the 2028 Games. It is delivered through the LA Recreation and Parks Department and is supported by a $160 million joint commitment from LA28 and the International Olympic Committee.
When are the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games?
The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games are scheduled for 2028 in Los Angeles. LA28 says the Games will unite more than 15,000 athletes and will be the first Olympic Games in history to allocate more quota spots to women athletes than men.
What sports did Day of Sport feature?
Day of Sport activations at the Pico-Union anchor site and other sites included Basketball, Flag Football, Football (Soccer), Athletics (Track & Field), Para Swimming, and Water Polo. Select young athletes received commemorative medals inspired by Olympic and Paralympic values.
