IGF announced an IOC-approved Olympic Golf Mixed-Team Event
In a major development for the sport, the International Golf Federation (IGF) has confirmed the addition of an Olympic Golf Mixed-Team Event, which will debut at the Los Angeles 2028 (LA28) Olympic Games. Approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board on April 9, this new format will be staged alongside the existing men’s and women’s individual golf events.
Set to be played at the historic Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles (home of the PGA TOUR’s Genesis Invitational, where Tiger Woods is the tournament host), the mixed-team competition will feature pairs composed of one male and one female golfer from the same country. Each team will be formed using athletes who have already qualified for their respective individual events, and participation will be capped at one team per nation.
The event structure includes two 18-hole rounds played over two days. The first round will use the foursomes (alternate shot) format, followed by four-ball (best ball) in the second round. This will be the first Olympic team golf event since 1904.
Antony Scanlon, Executive Director of the IGF, welcomed the decision, citing growing athlete interest and the sport’s upward trajectory through recent Olympic cycles. “We’re absolutely thrilled to see a Mixed-Team Event added to the programme for Los Angeles 2028,” said Scanlon. “Golf was incredibly successful at Paris 2024, and as we continue building on the momentum from Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, we’re excited to bring even more attention to our sport through this additional format.”
The mixed format aligns with the IOC’s broader objective of enhancing gender equality and athlete representation. Golf joins five other sports in introducing mixed-gender team events at LA28: Archery, Athletics (4x100m mixed relay), Gymnastics, Rowing (coastal beach sprint), and Table Tennis.
The new event also fits within the IOC’s push for a globally appealing, gender-balanced Games with sustainable logistical footprints. LA28 will feature a total of 351 medal events—22 more than Paris 2024—while maintaining the overall athlete quota of 10,500. Of those, 698 additional spots have been allocated to the five new sports proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee: Baseball/Softball, Cricket, Flag Football, Lacrosse, and Squash.
The Olympic Golf Mixed-Team Event will be positioned between the men’s and women’s individual events during the competition schedule. This sequence allows individual medal contenders to also compete as a team, without overlap.
The LA28 Games are shaping up to be the most diverse and inclusive in Olympic history, and golf’s mixed-team addition reinforces the trend of innovation in Olympic formats. The IGF has expressed strong confidence in the event’s appeal, both to players and global audiences.