As the curtain fell on a memorable Paris 2024 Olympics, the focus shifted to the next Games in 2028.
Hollywood star Tom Cruise, Grammy winner Billie Eilish and other stars took part in the Closing Ceremony on Sunday as Los Angeles took over Olympic hosting duties from the French capital.
While the next Games are four years away, the excitement is already building for what many are calling the Hollywood Olympics.
It will be the fifth Summer Olympics and ninth Games overall to be hosted by the US, and anticipation is high for a spectacle inside and outside the venues as one of the most famous cities in the world begins preparations to add its unique flavour to the Games.
The home of Hollywood has several top-class stadiums, many of which will already have staged a similarly high-profile event by then – the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
The plan is to repurpose existing infrastructure in Los Angeles – as they did in Paris – rather than build new venues. The LA Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Bowl are expected to host athletics and football, while the SoFi Stadium has been earmarked for swimming.
Apart from the glamour of LA, what is also of interest is the disciplines that have been included in the 2028 Olympics programme.
Which sports have been added to 2028 Olympic Games?
Last year, the International Olympic Committee announced that five new sports have been added to the Los Angeles Games. They are baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, squash and cricket.
Cricket and lacrosse return to the Olympics after more than a century, along with baseball/softball. Flag football is non-contact version of the hugely popular American gridiron football and will make its Games debut, while squash has grown in popularity across the world and has been added to the schedule.
Among the sports added to the list, cricket is by far the most popular sport that makes its return to the Olympics.
Cricket was last played at the Games way back in 1900, when England and France – made up of expats – competed in one match after the Netherlands and Belgium withdrew. England took gold then.
Over the past few decades, demand has grown for the sport to be reintroduced. Time constraints had kept the sport away, until the advent of T20 cricket, which allows a game to be completed within three-and-a-half hours and several matches to be held in a single day.
Last year, cricket was included in the list of disciplines for the 2028 Games. Earlier this year, international cricket formally entered the American market through the T20 World Cup with matches held in Texas, Florida and New York.
“The Olympic Games will give cricket a global stage and the opportunity to grow beyond the traditional cricket countries and regions," IOC president Thomas Bach had said last year.
“And for the Olympic movement, it’s the opportunity to engage with fan and athlete communities to which so far we have very little or even no access.”
Which sports have been excluded from the 2028 Games?
Breaking, or breakdancing as it is more commonly known, made its debut at the Paris Olympics. However, it has not been included in the LA programme and chances are the sport will not be seen on the global stage anytime soon.
Also, it is unclear whether boxing will feature at the LA Olympics. The IOC organised the event in Paris after it stripped the International Boxing Association of its status as the sport's world body over governance and financial management issues.
Rival body World Boxing said national boxing federations needed to join its ranks to ensure the sport is included in the LA line up.
Who decides which disciplines are included in the Olympics?
The Olympic Charter has a provision whereby the local organising body of an Olympic Games has the right to “review the Olympic programme for each edition of the Games in order to introduce innovation and sustainability”.
Accordingly, the LA28 organising committee proposed the inclusion of the five disciplines. Thereafter, the IOC's Olympic programme commission issued recommendations to the IOC executive board. In October last year, the executive board approved the five sports to be included for the LA Games.
SQUADS
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt), Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Usman Salahuddin, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Bilal Asif, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas, Wahab Riaz
Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne (vice-capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Rangana Herath, Lakshan Sandakan, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Gamage
Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG) and Nigel Llong (ENG)
TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG)
ICC match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
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Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
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Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Borussia Dortmund, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
the pledge
I pledge to uphold the duty of tolerance
I pledge to take a first stand against hate and injustice
I pledge to respect and accept people whose abilities, beliefs and culture are different from my own
I pledge to wish for others what I wish for myself
I pledge to live in harmony with my community
I pledge to always be open to dialogue and forgiveness
I pledge to do my part to create peace for all
I pledge to exercise benevolence and choose kindness in all my dealings with my community
I pledge to always stand up for these values: Zayed's values for tolerance and human fraternity
More on animal trafficking
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
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LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Review: Tomb Raider
Dir: Roar Uthaug
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Daniel Wu, Walter Goggins
two stars
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Most match wins on clay
Guillermo Vilas - 659
Manuel Orantes - 501
Thomas Muster - 422
Rafael Nadal - 399 *
Jose Higueras - 378
Eddie Dibbs - 370
Ilie Nastase - 338
Carlos Moya - 337
Ivan Lendl - 329
Andres Gomez - 322
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Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
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Dunki
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
