World Athletics has already published the qualification system for the track and field events at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, which will be held from July 15 to 30. The international body has unveiled the direct-entry marks, the qualification periods, and the distribution of spots for the upcoming Olympic gathering.
The system will maintain the two-path model used in recent major international championships, albeit with a greater emphasis on the world ranking. Forty percent of athletes will qualify by achieving the direct minimum, while the remaining sixty percent will do so through the World Ranking. In the event that more athletes achieve the minimum than there are spots in a given event, priority will be granted to the best-ranked athletes within the designated qualification window, so simply reaching the standard will not automatically guarantee an Olympic berth.
These are the direct-entry marks established by World Athletics for the individual track and field events:
In the case of race walking, Los Angeles 2028 will inaugurate the half marathon event, whose qualification will be established through the World Race Walking Team Championships and the world ranking.The periods for achieving the minimums
The qualification deadlines will not be identical across all disciplines.
In the marathon, there will also be a specific system to guarantee the top slots. The first 56 athletes on the Olympic qualifying list, allowing a maximum of three per country, will secure their spots by March 19, 2028. The remaining 15 spots will be allocated subsequently through the minimum and ranking system. The five leading finishers in each Platinum-labelled marathon held during the qualification period will also be considered direct minimums.Relays will also have their own path: the first 14 countries at the Bahamas World Relays Championships on April 22-23, 2028, will earn their Olympic place. The remainder will be decided through the world relays ranking.
And what will be the criteria of the RFEA?
The World Athletics publication is only the first step for Spanish athletes. Now there will be a wait for the Real Federación Española de Atletismo (RFEA) to publish its own selection criteria for Los Angeles 2028.
At the Paris 2024 Games, the Spanish federation established additional competitiveness minimums beyond those of World Athletics. In this way, athletes had to satisfy international requirements (direct entry mark or world ranking) and, in addition, prove certain internal records to be eligible for preselection.A model that has also been applied in recent world championships and that will need to be checked whether it remains for Los Angeles. Therefore, the minimums just published by World Athletics should not be confused with the definitive criteria that Spanish athletes will have to meet to be at the 2028 Olympic Games.
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