As the Olympic flame goes out in the City of Light, eyes turn to Los Angeles as it prepares to host the next edition of the Games in 2028.
Having hosted the Summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984, Los Angeles will become the third three-time host city after London and Paris.
Organisers, who have been keen to emphasise sustainability, have said no new constructions will be required for the event. Instead, they will re-use dozens of existing sites.
In addition to the more well-known Olympic sports, the Los Angeles Games will see a few disciplines revived, along with some new events.
Cricket will be played at the Olympics for the first time since Paris in 1900. Tournaments will be played in the T20 format, a shortened version which sees both teams limited to bowling and battling for no more than 20 overs a piece.
New Zealand will be eyeing a medal, although both its men’s and women’s teams have struggled recently.
Lacrosse is another sport making a comeback. Despite being one of the oldest sports to be played, it has not been contested at the Olympic level in more than a century. 2028 will see a new format introduced – teams of six using their lacrosse sticks to fire a ball into a goal.
Baseball and softball events have had an unusual journey at the Olympics, taken out after the 2008 Beijing Games, back in at the 2021 Tokyo Games, out in the 2024 Paris Games, and now back in for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Squash will join tennis and badminton as racket sports at the Games after years of campaigning from fans.
Flag football will make its debut. It is a non-contact version of American football which is played on a smaller pitch with smaller teams. Tackles are made by removing a flag from an opponent.
A new Paralympic discipline will be introduced as well. Known as paraclimbing, this event challenges athletes in different classifications to climb a 15m wall using hand holds.
Other Olympic sports that are relatively new to the Games line-up will stay on, including surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing.
However, breaking, which made its debut at the Paris Games, was not picked as one of the disciplines for Los Angeles.
Boxing’s inclusion is also not confirmed after the International Boxing Association was last year stripped of recognition over failure to introduce reforms on governance and finance. A decision will be made next year, IOC president Thomas Bach said recently.
