Before any athlete can compete at the Olympic Games, they need to qualify.
For Los Angeles 2028, the qualification period began more than two years before the Opening Ceremony will take place.
In some sports, quota spots are allocated directly to the athletes who earn them. In other sports, the quota spots go to the National Olympic Committee (NOC), which means there is a separate selection process within the country—such as national trials—to fill those spots.
Some sports have direct qualification events while others have qualification based on a cumulative world ranking list or may use a combination of both pathways.
This Feb. 13, 2008, file photo shows the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Read on for a sport-by-sport breakdown of Team Canada’s qualification pathway to LA 2028. Only events in which Canadian athletes are eligible to compete are included.
It’s not always simple, so to see the international qualification systems in full for each sport, click on the provided links. As Team Canada selection policies become available, these will also be included.
As there are a lot of summer Olympic sports, we’ve broken this list into parts, alphabetically by sport.
Part 1 (A-C) | Part 2 (D-R) | Part 3 (S-W)
Diving
Total Athletes: 136 (68 men, 68 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 16 (8 men, 8 women)
Quota spots are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can qualify a maximum of one team in each of the synchronized events and a maximum of two athletes in each of the individual events.
World Aquatics Diving Olympic Qualification System
Equestrian
Total Dressage Athletes: 60 (men or women)
Maximum Dressage Athletes per NOC: 3 (men or women)
Total Eventing Athletes: 65 (men or women)
Maximum Eventing Athletes per NOC: 3 (men or women)
Total Jumping Athletes: 75 (men or women)
Maximum Jumping Athletes per NOC: 3 (men or women)
Quota spots are allocated to the NOC. For dressage, an NOC can qualify a team of three athletes or one individual. For eventing, an NOC can qualify a team of three athletes or up to two individuals. For jumping, an NOC can qualify a team of three athletes or one individual.
Dressage – FEI Olympic Qualification System
Eventing – FEI Olympic Qualification System
Jumping – FEI Olympic Qualification System
Fencing
Total Athletes: 212 (106 men, 106 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 18 (9 men, 9 women)
An NOC can qualify one team of three athletes per gender for each weapon or one individual per gender for each weapon. Team quota spots are allocated to the NOC. Individual quota spots are allocated to the athletes by name if no team was qualified.
FIE Fencing Olympic Qualification System
Field Hockey
Total Teams: 12 men (192 athletes), 12 women (192 athletes)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 32 (16 men, 16 women)
Quota spots are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can qualify one team per gender.
FIH Field Hockey Olympic Qualification System
Flag Football
Total Teams: 6 men (60 athletes), 6 women (60 athletes)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 20 (10 men, 10 women)
Quota spots are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can qualify one team per gender.
IFAF Flag Football Olympic Qualification System
Golf
Total Athletes: 120 (60 men, 60 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 8 (4 men, 4 women)
Quota spots for the individual stroke play events are allocated to the athletes by name. Quota spots for the mixed team event are allocated to the NOC.
IGF Golf Olympic Qualification System
All individual qualifications will be based on the Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR). An NOC can qualify four athletes of a gender if all four are ranked in the top 15; otherwise, there is a maximum of two athletes per gender per NOC.
The OGR for men will close on June 19, 2028; the OGR for women will close on June 5, 2028. Ranking points for each player accumulate over a two-year period. Each of the five continents is guaranteed at least one athlete in each of the men’s and women’s tournaments.
The 16 teams that qualify for the mixed team event will be based on the Olympic Mixed Team Event Ranking on June 19, 2028, which will place in order the highest ranked athlete by NOC from either the men’s OGR or the women’s OGR. The 16 NOCs can then select one man and one woman from among their qualified athletes to compete in the mixed team event.
Gymnastics – Artistic
Total Athletes: 192 (96 men, 96 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 10 (5 men, 5 women)
An NOC can only earn five quota spots for a gender if qualified for the respective team event. If no team is qualified, there is a maximum of three individual athletes per NOC per gender.
Quota spots are allocated to the NOC for all team qualifications. Individual quota spots earned through Criteria 3 are also allocated to the NOC while individual quota spots earned through Criteria 4-7 are allocated to the athlete by name.
Artistic Gymnastics – World Gymnastics Olympic Qualification System
Gymnastics – Rhythmic
Total Athletes: 94 women
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 7 women
An NOC can qualify a one group of five athletes as well as two individual all-around athletes. All group quota sports are allocated to the NOC. Individual quota spots earned at the 2026 and/or 2027 World Championships are allocated to the NOC. Individual quota spots earned elsewhere are primarily allocated to the athletes by name (except for NOCs that earn a second spot through Criteria 2 and already qualified one spot through Criteria 1).
Rhythmic Gymnastics – World Gymnastics Olympic Qualification System
Gymnastics – Trampoline
Total Athletes: 32 (16 men, 16 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 4 (2 men, 2 women)
Quota spots are allocated to the NOC. A maximum of three NOCs may earn two quota spots per gender. All other NOCs may qualify a maximum of one spot per gender.
Trampoline – World Gymnastics Olympic Qualification System
Handball
Total Teams: 12 men (168 athletes), 12 women (168 athletes)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 28 (14 men, 14 women)
Quota spots are allocated to the NOC.
IHF Handball Olympic Qualification System
Judo
Total Athletes: 372 (186 men, 186 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 14 (7 men, 7 women)
IJF Judo Olympic Qualification System
All qualifications will be based on the IJF World Ranking List during the Olympic qualification period of June 15, 2026 to June 12, 2028.
An NOC can qualify a maximum of one athlete per event/weight category. Quota spots are allocated to the athletes by name. However, if an NOC has more than one athlete ranked in the top 17 of a weight category the NOC can decide which athlete receives the quota spot for that event.
In each individual weight category, the top 17 athletes on the IJF World Ranking List will qualify directly. For continental representation, 11 men and 11 women from Pan America will also qualify. A maximum of one athlete per NOC across all weight categories and genders can qualify via continental representation.
An NOC is eligible to enter the mixed team event if it qualifies individual athletes able to compete in the six included combined weight categories.
There is one mixed team event invitation spot for Pan America. Eligible NOCs are those with only five athletes qualified instead of the six needed for the mixed team weight categories. The highest ranked eligible NOC from Pan America in the IJF Seniors Mixed Team World Ranking List will earn a quota spot. The athlete who receives this spot is also qualified for their respective individual event.
Lacrosse
Total Teams: 6 men (66 athletes), 6 women (66 athletes)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 22 (11 men, 11 women)
Quota spots are allocated to the NOC.
World Lacrosse Olympic Qualification System
Modern Pentathlon
Total Athletes: 64 (32 men, 32 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 4 (2 men, 2 women)
Quota spots are allocated to the athletes by name. NOCs with more than two qualified athletes of a gender can decide which two they will enter.
UIPM Modern Pentathlon Olympic Qualification System
Rowing
Total Athletes: 438 (219 men, 219 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 44 (22 men, 22 women)
Quota spots are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can qualify a maximum of one boat per event.
For quota spots earned at the 2027 World Rowing Championships, the NOC may enter different athletes in those boats at LA 2028 than who qualified the boats. For quota spots earned at the Continental Qualification Regattas and the Final Qualification Regatta, the athletes who qualified a boat must compete in that same boat at LA 2028 if they compete at the Olympic Games.
Genders of coxswains for the eight (8+) shall be open, so a men’s crew may be coxed by a woman and a women’s crew may be coxed by a man.
World Rowing Olympic Qualification System
Rowing – Coastal Beach Sprints
Total Athletes: 64 (32 men, 32 women)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 2 (1 man, 1 woman)
Quota spots are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can qualify the maximum quota through either the mixed double sculls or the men’s and women’s solos. An NOC that qualifies one man and one woman can participate in the mixed double sculls and solo events. An NOC can enter different athletes at LA 2028 than those who qualified the boat(s).
World Rowing Coastal Olympic Qualification System
Rugby
Total Teams: 12 men (144 athletes), 12 women (144 athletes)
Maximum Athletes per NOC: 24 (12 men, 12 women)
Quota spots are allocated to the NOC. An NOC can qualify one team per gender.