US ’28 track trials headed back to Eugene (not LA) over compressed 6-day schedule
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The U.S. track and field Olympic trials will return to Eugene, Oregon, leaving Los Angeles on the sideline weeks before it hosts the 2028 Summer Games.
The trials, set for June 17-22, 2028, will be the sixth straight held at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus, which has adopted the nickname “TrackTown USA.” It has proven over decades to be America’s only consistently viable host for big-time track events.
The six-day schedule will be different from past trials, which usually spanned two weekends, with a couple of off days in the middle. Those six days will not include selection for the decathlon, heptathlon or the 10,000 meters, all of which will be held earlier in the spring — at locations still to be determined — to allow for additional recovery.
The Olympics begin July 14, with the track meet starting the next day; this marks the first time track will cover the opening days of the Games since 1968.
Some athletes complain about the cost of traveling to and staying in a metro area of around 400,000, but USA Track and Field CEO Max Siegel said Eugene’s “record of success in selecting America’s best track and field athletes speaks for itself.”
He said U.S. athletes have won 52 gold medals in athletics since 2008, when Eugene’s streak of hosting trials began.
The decision to keep the string going comes as something of a surprise, however. There was a thought that the LA Coliseum, which will host the Olympic track meet, would make for a perfect host for the trials, though there were issues involved with holding two major events in such a short period.
Other LA venues include UCLA’s Drake Stadium, which is serving as an Olympic training site; and what was known as the Mount SAC Stadium in nearby Walnut. That stadium was awarded the 2020 trials, but they were moved to Eugene after issues arose over renovations of the venue. Those trials were ultimately held in 2021 at Hayward.
Hayward Field also hosted world championships in 2022 and the U.S. track nationals 10 times, including last year, and will do so again in 2027.
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