What Changes For India As LA Olympic Games 2028 Bring A Tidal Shift

India and the Olympic Games haven't produced many memorable moments, especially since the turn of the 21st century. The 2024 Paris Games saw the country clinch just 6 medals -- 5 bronze and 1 silver. The nation's failure to bring home a single gold medal hurt the sentiments of many sports lovers across the country. But a lot is set to change as India begins its preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Cricket, India's beloved sport, is set to mark its return to the grandest stage of all, with the LA Games set to feature the sport in T20 format.

How The 2028 LA Games Will Be Different For India:

- Cricket's return to the world stage marks a big step from the stakeholders towards getting the sport the global recognition it deserves. The sport will be played in the LA Games in the T20 format, with six teams participating. Having won the 2024 T20 World Cup, the Indian team understandably would start among the favourites for the numero uno spot. 

- Table Tennis brings good news for the Indian contingent, with Men's and women's team events being withdrawn. Apart from singles events, men's and women's doubles, mixed doubles, and mixed team events will be seen as separate medal events in the 2028 Games. 

- Shooting is another sport where India has traditionally done well in the Olympic Games. Manu Bhaker's twin bronze medals in the Paris Games were the biggest feat for an Indian in the last edition. Several changes have been made in shooting, with the men's 25m rapid fire pistol and shotgun events now set to feature 8 players instead of 6. The 50m rifle 3 positions will also see only the standing position being contested in the final, while the qualification event will feature prone and kneeling too. Trap shooting will replace the mixed team event in the LA Games. The changes are expected to have both negative and positive impacts on the Indian contingent. 

- Squash makes its debut in the Olympic Games in 2028, with men's singles and women's singles being listed. India, however, has traditionally done better in team events when it comes to the sport on the global stages. 

- Compound archery, a form that India has excelled in for a long time, makes its debut in the LA Games with the mixed team event. The five traditional recurve events still remain a part of the Olympic schedule.

In a historic first, the 2028 LA Games will also see women have more spots (5,655) than men (5,543). In the 2024 Paris Games, India had 45 women in a contingent of 110. But, a shift is expected ahead of the next edition. 

The 2028 Games will also see an increase in women's football teams from 12 to 16, while the men's competition will take a cut, with the number of participating teams going down from 16 to 12.