2028 US Olympic track & field trials go to Eugene June 17-22nd...
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| Joe Waskom, Sam Prakel and Luke Houser in action at the 2024 US Olympic Trials in Eugene (Paul Merca photo) |
INDIANAPOLIS--USA Track & Field announced that the 2028 US Olympic Team Trials--Track & Field will be held in Eugene June 17-22, 2028 at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon.
This marks the sixth straight Trials that Eugene will host the event, after Sacramento hosted the Trials in 2004.
"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," said USA Track & Field CEO Max Siegel. "There is no doubt these Trials will produce a team that is built for LA."
"TrackTown USA is honored to welcome back the nation's best athletes, coaches, and fans to Hayward Field at The University of Oregon for the 2028 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field," said TrackTown USA CEO Michael Reilly. "Our community looks forward to hosting an amazing celebration of the sport and the world’s No. 1 team.”
The 2028 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field will feature a new six-day competition format, down from eight days in previous editions. 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.
Team selection for the decathlon, heptathlon and 10,000 meters will also be held earlier in the spring to allow additional recovery time before the Games. The date and location for those competitions will be announced soon.
One question that remains to be answered is whether or not Eugene would give up hosting the 2028 NCAA championships, which according to the NCAA calendar, is slated for June 7-10th.
Another question, which would hit teams that have athletes who qualify for both the NCAA and the Olympic Trials, is whether or not it's cheaper for those to go home to their schools, then return to Eugene to compete at the Trials.
The scarcity of quality hotels in the Eugene/Springfield area could have teams, particularly those who are already out of school for the summer, try and keep their rooms in the area. For schools who operate on the quarter system, like the University of Washington, which finishes their spring quarter in mid-June, it will depend on whether or not those athletes competing at the NCAAs have to go back to take their final exams.
For those schools who potentially have athletes in the 10000 and the combined events, a question that they will have to ask themselves, given that the Trials for those events will be earlier, is deciding what the priority will be--the Trials or the NCAA championships?
Then there was the question on whether the LA Coliseum would use the Trials as a dress rehearsal for the track & field competition at the Olympics. That was shot down when the LA28 organizing committee said that the Coliseum wouldn't be ready in time, as they would have to remove seats from the football configuration in the first several rows and build essentially a raised track on the current Coliseum footprint.
NOTE: USA Track & Field and the NCAA contributed to this report.
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