Sha’Carri Richardson is ready for the 2028 LA Olympics. She stated that the road to LA28 would be pretty special for the female sprinters. While she has high hopes for the major event, others may not share the same sentiment, especially after an unexpected change to the 100m Women’s format. World Athletics announced that the prelims, heats, semifinals, and finals of the women’s 100m dash will be held on the same day, July 15, 2028. And now, Julien Alfred’s agent, Henry Rolle, has officially sent a letter to World Athletics to give some clarifications. 

As per Track and Field News, on 13 November 2025, Rolle clarified that Julien Alfred would not offer a favorable comment regarding the LA28 schedule. He remarked that even though early visibility may be presented as a benefit, “visibility without fairness does not constitute progress.” Of course, this doesn’t mean past schedules have been the best. He pointed out that at the most recent Summer Olympics, organizers held the first round of the women’s 200m less than 12 hours after the women’s 100m final. Thus, Julien and others had to fulfill media and mixed zone obligations right after the 100m final, leaving the women with less rest ahead of the 200m race. 

He further cited Stephen Francis, who recently put no objection to the new schedule if the men were also put under a similar strain. It would be justified, right? However, reality is a bit different. 

He continued to give more examples where women in sports were put at a clear disadvantage. However, he also put some weight on the IOC President, Christy Coventry. After all, Title IX shaped her athletic career by prioritizing fairness, equity, and a strong duty of care for women in sport. And then came the humble request. Rolle wrote, “It is my hope that President Coventry will bring these same principles, principles that supported her own success to the International Olympic Committee and its decision-making processes.”

The new schedule for the LA Olympics also comes with a heightened risk of injuries, and has the fanbase worried. With all these considerations in mind, Rolle continued, “Given the continued pattern of inadequate recovery windows, secondary consideration of women’s event structure, and unequal conditions compared to male athletes, we cannot in good conscience contribute to a media narrative praising the current schedule. To do so would misrepresent the lived reality of the athletes and endorse inequity under the guise of promotion.” 

And for these reasons, Julien Alfred will not give any favorable comment regarding the LA28 schedule. But her team is indeed engaging with media outlets in France and the UK to address these concerns more widely. And Alfred’s agent isn’t the only one who has spoken about the schedule.

Analysts rally to change the LA28 schedule

When the scheduling change was announced, the President of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, said that this schedule change is a blend of innovation and honors tradition. But many athletes, agents, and analysts do not think that is the case. There is a fear that the fact that the 200m Women’s races will commence the next day, the sprinters’ fatigue could affect the quality of the race.

Kemal Forde, a renowned analyst for track and field, raised some strong concerns through a tweet on X. He stated, “It would not be surprising if this is overturned because three rounds of 100m on the same day can be very tedious for the body. Especially for athletes who intend to do the 200m. If it does not change, then that Women’s 100m could be one of most anticlimactic events at the Olympics.” Even coaches like Stephen Francis and Glen Mils were unhappy with the novel schedule. 

According to them, it wasn’t good for the sport in terms of the quality of performance. Without proper rest and recovery, the quality of performance will surely decrease. Now, with an official letter from Rolle, the IOC might just make a change in the schedule. Do let us know about your thoughts on the current schedule for LA28 in the comments down below.