US ’28 track trials headed back to Eugene (not LA) over compressed 6-day schedule

The U.S. track and field Olympic trials will once again take place in Eugene, Oregon, rather than Los Angeles, before the city hosts the 2028 Summer Games. The races, scheduled for June 17-22, 2028, will be held at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus, known as "TrackTown USA." This will mark the sixth consecutive year the trials have been held at the venue, which has a history of successfully hosting major track events.

The six-day trial schedule differs from previous events, which typically ran over two weekends. Notably, the decathlon, heptathlon, and 10,000 meters will be held earlier in the spring at yet-to-be-determined locations to allow athletes adequate recovery. The Olympics themselves commence on July 14, with track events beginning the following day, marking the first time track has taken place during the opening days of the Games since 1968.

While some athletes have expressed concerns about the financial burden of traveling to Eugene, USA Track and Field CEO Max Siegel defended the decision, citing the city's track record of successfully selecting America's top athletes. The choice to keep the trials in Eugene came as a surprise, as Los Angeles officials had considered the Coliseum as a potential host, despite challenges of staging two major events so close together.

Alternative LA options include UCLA's Drake Stadium, which serves as an Olympic training site, and Mount SAC Stadium in nearby Walnut, which previously hosted the 2020 trials before being relocated to Eugene due to renovation issues. Hayward Field has also previously hosted world championships in 2022 and the U.S. track nationals ten times, most recently in 2021.