The 2028 U.S. Olympic track and field team trials are headed back to Eugene for a sixth straight time, with Hayward Field again playing a pivotal role in selecting the team that will represent Team USA in Los Angeles in two years.
USA Track and Field made the announcement in Monday, noting that Eugene has been the setting for the selection of each U.S. track and field team for the Olympics since 2008.
“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,” USATF CEO Max Siegel said. “There is no doubt these Trials will produce a team that is built for L.A.”
The trials were last held in June 2024 ahead of the Paris Games and the 2028 format will be trimmed to six days, down from eight days in the previous cycle. Missing as a result of the two less days of programming will be the decathlon, heptathlon and 10,000 meter events, which will be held earlier in the year.
Team USA sent 120 track and field athletes to the 2024 Olympics, with 61 women and 59 men winning 34 total medals (14 gold, 11 silver and nine bronze).
“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,” TrackTown USA CEO Michael Reilly said. “Our community looks forward to hosting an amazing celebration of the sport and the world’s No. 1 team.”
Hayward Field continues to be the nation’s preferred host for top track and field events, serving as the home for more than 1,500 athletes from more than 140 countries for the World Athletics U20 Championships in early August and NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June.
The announcement comes on the heels of a successful World Athletics U20 Championships, which welcomed more than 1,500 athletes from more than 140 countries to Eugene. The city also hosted the 2022 World Athletics Championships—the first and only time the event has been held in the United States—further cementing its reputation as TrackTown USA.
Despite venues in California, like UCLA’s Drake Stadium in Los Angeles or even the L.A. Memorial Coliseum playing host for the trials, organizers have once again chose Eugene as the location where the next nation team will be decided.
The Coliseum would likely be undergoing finishing touches in time for the Games during the trials in June 2028 while Drake Stadium will be an Olympic training site but could have still been able to accommodate a major event. Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, California would have also been an option and the venue hosted national championships in 1962, 1979 and 1980 when it was known as Mt. SAC Stadium and was picked for the 2020 Olympic trials before being moved to Eugene over issues with planned renovations.
