Louisville to Host U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials in 2028

Louisville will be transformed into Gymnastics City USA in 2028 when it hosts the 2028 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team Trials at KFC Yum! Center that June. The announcement was made on Wednesday by USA Gymnastics and the Louisville Sports Commission, but the process to bringing the premier national event one of the country’s most popular Olympic sports to town has been decades in the making.

“It’s the culmination of a long journey for a lot of us, a lot of people,” said Louisville Sports Commission President & CEO Greg Fante. “It’s hard to put into words just what it has taken to get here for us. I’ve been around the Sports Commission since it launched in 1999 and we have had stated goals to host an Olympic trials in Louisville, Kentucky, since Day 1. It’s definitely been a path.”

The city has long been familiar with hosting major gymnastics events, having welcomed the Acrobatic National Championships in 2005, 2013 and 2014. The two-week run of gymnastics events from June 5-19, 2028 will include the developmental competition for the USA Gymnastics Championships at the Kentucky International Convention Center; Xcelebration, a national-level event for women’s artistic gymnastics in the Xcel program; the USAG national congress and trade show; and the USA Gymnastics for All Gymfest. The Olympic Trials will be held from June 16-19, with the members of the Olympic team that will head to the Los Angeles Games being announced on the final night.

The event is expected to bring in more than 6,500 participants and over 200,000 visitors to Louisville. Tickets for the Olympic Trials will go on sale next year.

As part of the announcement, the Louisville Sports Commission unveiled Louisville 2028, the local organizing committee that will work with USA Gymnastics to put on the two-week spectacle of events. That group will work in partnership with state and local stakeholders, venue partners and the business community.

“In 2028 the Olympic Games will take place in Los Angeles, but one of the most important moments on that journey will happen right here in Louisville with our Olympic Trials,” said USA Gymnastics President and CEO Kyle Albrecht. “With the support of an incfredible community and committed partners across the city and state, we’re confident we will deliver an experience that reflects the very best of our sport, our country and the Olympic movement.”

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called the chance to host the trials, “an incredible moment,” for the state, adding, “Athletes and their families, as well as fans from across the country, will see the hospitality and excitement that have made our state a global sports destination.”

Downtown Louisville will anchor 15 days of festivities, with Fourth Street Live! serving as a hub for fan activations, live entertainment, and community celebration surrounding competition.

“Hosting the U.S. Olympic Team Trials is a defining moment for Louisville and a testament to our community’s ability to deliver world-class events on the biggest stage,” said Fante. “We are proud to play a role in helping shape the journey to Los Angeles and to create an unforgettable experience for athletes and fans alike.”

Rich Sporting History

Louisville has a long and rich sports history, including hosting the Kentucky Derby since 1875 and being the hometown of Muhammad Ali and Louisville Slugger bats, as well as Racing Louisville FC of the National Women’s Soccer League and Louisville City FC of the USL Championship. It has also hosted the PGA Championship at Valhalla Country Club four times, most recently in 2024.

These will be the first Summer Olympic Games on U.S. soil since 1996, when the “Magnificent Seven” won the first Olympic women’s team gymnastics gold for the United States. Four of those members — Amanda Borden, Dominique Moceanu, Jaycie Phelps and Shannon Miller — attended the announcement in Louisville on Wednesday.

At the most recent Olympic Summer Games in Paris, the U.S. women won team gold for the first time since ’96, while the men’s team won bronze for the first time since 2008.

The first Olympic team trials in the sport took place in 1960, in West Point, New York. St. Louis and San Jose each hosted twice between 2012 and 2020 (splitting the event in 2016) and Minneapolis hosted in 2024, when Simone Biles won her third consecutive women’s championship.