Motorsport could become an Olympic sport from 2028 – report

The 2028 Los Angeles Olympic games could prove to be a monumental turning point for motorsports, with organisers reportedly interested in adding car racing to the growing list of competitive events for the first time.

While go-karting has previously been included in the Youth Olympic Games (in 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina), news agency Reuters reports the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is in talks to bring full, car-based motorsport to Los Angeles in 2028.

According to the publication, a number of lobby groups are pushing for their sports to be added to the Olympic roster – including supporters of flag football (a derivative of gridiron), cricket, baseball/softball, lacrosse, breakdancing, karate, kickboxing, squash and motorsport.

There is no indication yet about what form of cars and events the drivers would compete in, though the IOC has previously expressed its desire to become more sustainable – making electric cars the most likely candidate.

Pitting countries against each other in a motorsport competition is not new – since 1988, the Race of Champions has seen world title winners from different motorsport categories around the world go head-to-head in ‘neutral’ cars.

From 2005 until 2009, the A1 Grand Prix (A1GP) also ran a multi-race season with teams of drivers racing for their country – giving a career boost to future Australian stars such as Will Davison, Ryan Briscoe and Will Power.

There has also been a crossover between racing drivers and Olympians in the recent past.

Qatari rally driver Nasser Al-Attiyah won the bronze medal in the men’s skeet shooting event at the 2012 London Olympics, just one year after he won the first of his five Dakar Rallies.

Former Formula One driver and two-time North American CART open-wheel racing champion Alex Zanardi has won six medals (four gold, two silver) across the 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio) Paralympics in hand-cycling races, following a car racing crash in 2001 which severed his legs.

According to Reuters, Pierre Trochet – the President of the International Federation of American Football – told reporters the organisers of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics expect to hand down their division on what sports will be included in the Games within the coming weeks.

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is expected to host a number of sporting events throughout the 2028 Olympics, though it’s not yet known whether this would extend to motorsport.

The stadium has been used multiple times for motorsport events – from rally competitions in the X Games, to an exhibition NASCAR race in 2022 and 2023.

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