The Olympics are going to La La Land in 2028 and the IOC has approved the entire sports program. But what has caught the fan’s attention once again is the IOC’s introducing a new track event in Los Angeles. The mixed 4x100m relay will make its Olympic debut at the LA 2028 Games, providing countries an extra opportunity for a gold medal in athletics. Some are viewing this as ignorance towards the field events, including a Sky Sports journalist. Who said what?
“Mixed 4x100m relay to be a part of LA 2028 Olympics,” announced Athletics Weekly on X on March 9th, 2025. Sky Sports journalist Chris Brown replied to the tweet. The man made three remarks. First and foremost, he kept it real, saying, “I’m not sure we need to give sprinters ANOTHER chance to win an Olympic medal.” This comment from him makes sense since track athletes already have multiple dedicated events to their name. That’s why having another one doesn’t make much sense.
I’m not sure we need to give sprinters ANOTHER chance to win an Olympic medal.
When are we having a mixed field competition?
A jumps one & a throws one please https://t.co/1QATiZtchu
— Chris Brown (@ChrisBrownSport) April 9, 2025
But Brown wasn’t done just yet. He further argued that, rather than another event, something new could be done. What’s that? Well, in his own words, “When are we having a mixed-field competition?” A mixed event means that men and women both will be participating. Now the IOC has been stressing gender equality in LA28, hence the mixed event. Brown wants to know when the event is happening because the addition of this event can harm the field. Why?
Well, because if big names show up, all the attention would be diverted towards them, the field would be left alone. He ended his statement by saying, “A jumps one & a throws one, please ” This was a very valid request from the reporter, as field events have been on the rise in the past few years and including more of them will only be beneficial for the field athletes.
Don’t get us wrong; it’s not just that Track is not struggling with monetary issues but now they have got leagues like Grand Slam Track to support their back. Until now there wasn’t any prominent field event either that could match the stature of Grand Slam track or Diamond League, but that might be changed now.
Ryan Crouser’s attempt to save the field
“Ryan Crouser is planning on launching an ‘American Shot Put League,’ with a soft launch in 2025 & a full rollout in 2026.” Throwers Universe reported on X on September 12, 2024. The speculations first began when the 3x Olympic Shot Put Champion hinted at the series on the CITIUS MAG Podcast in September itself. Now we do have a date for it as well.
The Drake Relays are going to be their first home for this league, which will be held on April 23rd. It was announced that the first event in the series would be held at the Drake Relays last week by WHO 13 in Des Moines. What also makes the Drake Relays special for the Olympian is that he has yet to lose the race for a shot put title since 2018. The man has been claiming the men’s short put title in the league for five consecutive years now.
In 2023, Crouser set a meet record with a throw of 22.38 meters (73 feet, 5.25 inches) during the Drake Relays. Additionally, he holds the Drake Stadium facility record with a throw of 22.72 meters. That is why he will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Relays. But other than that, how successful do you think this league can be?
The post Sky Sports Reporter Warns of New Storm for Track & Field as IOC’s Ignorance for LA Olympics Comes to Light appeared first on EssentiallySports.