LA 2028 Wrestling & Judo Overview

Wrestling and judo, the two foundational grappling sports of the Summer Games, are both staged at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Downtown LA for 2028. The two share the venue but run at different points in the Games — judo in the first week and wrestling later — so a single Downtown base covers both across the fortnight. The Convention Center also hosts fencing, table tennis, and taekwondo, making it one of the busiest single venues of the Games.

Both sports are contested across weight classes, deciding a large share of the Games’ combat-sport medals. Judo runs individual weight categories for men and women plus a mixed team event, while wrestling spans both freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines. Each is a single-elimination bracket with a repechage that allows beaten quarterfinalists to fight back for bronze — meaning both sports crown two bronze medalists in every weight class.

Format & Sessions

Both sports move fast: a competitor can go from the opening round to a medal in a single day. Judo bouts are won by ippon or on points across a set time, with golden-score overtime if scores are level. Wrestling is decided across two periods, by points or by pin. In each sport, the day’s early rounds run in preliminary sessions, with the evening sessions reserved for the semifinals, bronze-medal contests, and gold-medal finals.

LA 2028 Wrestling & Judo Venue: Los Angeles Convention Center

Wrestling and judo at the 2028 Summer Games are both held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Downtown LA, one of the largest convention centers in the country and part of the Downtown sports-park cluster along Figueroa Street. The venue served as the Main Press Center at the 1984 Games and, for 2028, hosts five sports in total — wrestling, judo, fencing, table tennis, and taekwondo. It sits close to Crypto.com Arena and the Peacock Theater. For official venue information see the official LA28 venue page. For each sport’s international body, see United World Wrestling and the International Judo Federation.

The Downtown Sports Park

The Convention Center anchors the Downtown cluster of indoor events, surrounded by strong hotel inventory within walking distance and connected to the wider Downtown venues around the LA Live district. Because both wrestling and judo share the building — along with three other sports — a Downtown base offers exceptional access to a dense run of events without changing hotels or managing cross-city transfers.

Judo at the Summer Games: History

Judo made its Summer Games debut at the 1964 Tokyo Games, fitting for a sport founded in Japan, and became a permanent fixture from 1972. Women’s judo was added at the 1992 Games. Japan remains the sport’s dominant nation, with France, host of a passionate judo following, also among the strongest, alongside South Korea, Georgia, and others across the weight classes.

France’s Teddy Riner became one of the most celebrated judoka in the sport’s history, with multiple gold medals across several Games, while Japan has produced a long line of champions. The mixed team event, added at the 2020 Games, has become a compelling finale to the judo program, pitting the leading nations against one another in a team format.

Judo — Recent Selected Champions

Wrestling at the Summer Games: History

Wrestling is among the oldest sports of the Games, with Greco-Roman wrestling contested at the first modern edition in 1896 and freestyle added in 1904. Women’s freestyle wrestling joined the program at the 2004 Games. The sport is deeply global, with the United States, Japan, Iran, and nations across the Caucasus and Central Asia — Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and others — among the traditional powers.

The United States has a rich wrestling heritage, particularly in freestyle, and the sport carries a strong following across American high schools and colleges. Iran and Japan are perennial forces, Iran especially in the men’s styles and Japan a dominant nation in women’s freestyle. A home Games gives American wrestling one of its biggest stages in decades.

Wrestling — Styles & Leading Nations

What to Expect at LA 2028

Sharing a venue gives the combat-sport program a natural rhythm across the fortnight — judo lighting up the first week, wrestling carrying the second — with the Convention Center a hub of daily medal action. Both sports reward spectators with fast, high-stakes bouts where a single throw or takedown can end a contest, and the intimate mat-side setting makes for a charged atmosphere.

The Field

In judo, Japan and France lead a deep global field, with strong programs across Europe, the Caucasus, and Asia. In wrestling, the United States, Iran, Japan, and the Caucasus nations are the traditional powers across the freestyle and Greco-Roman styles. Both sports draw entries from a wider range of nations than almost any other on the program.

US Interest

American wrestling has one of the deepest talent pipelines of any US sport, rooted in high school and collegiate programs, and a home Games offers Team USA a marquee stage — particularly in men’s and women’s freestyle. US judo, while smaller, benefits from the same home-crowd lift across the weight classes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Sports at LA 2028

Wrestling and judo are two of many sports on the 2028 program. Individual sport guides for LA 2028 are listed below.