Austin Haughton
Published:
For you Olympian hopefuls out there: it’s time to start planning your back-to-back Florida and California theme park visits.
As reported by the Orlando Sentinel, Orlando, Florida, has been selected as one of four international host cities for the Olympic Q-Series, a multi-sport qualifying event that will help determine the final athletes advancing to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles (LA28).
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Thursday, May 7, that Tokyo, Shanghai, Montreal, and Orlando will host stops on the road to LA28.
The Orlando portion of the series will be the fourth and final stop, scheduled for June 8-11, 2028. Tokyo will open the series May 4-7, followed by Shanghai from May 11-14 and Montreal from June 1-4.
The IOC said the expanded Q-Series will feature 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball, BMX freestyle, climbing, flag football, and skateboarding, though the exact sports assigned to each host city have not yet been announced.
Greater Orlando Sports Commission President and CEO Jason Siegel said the successful bid reflects the region’s growing profile as an international sports destination. Siegel detailed:
“It takes a village to get here together. We will share a bold vision to showcase our community as a premier global destination, while supporting the continued growth of the Olympic sport and inspiring the next generation of athletes and fans,”
The Orlando events will be based around Camping World Stadium, which is currently undergoing a $400 million renovation intended to modernize the fan experience. Local officials said the event is expected to bring about 600 athletes from more than 150 countries to Central Florida, with more than 100 competitors ultimately earning Olympic spots through the series.
Orange County helped support the effort earlier this year by approving $15 million in tourist development tax funding for event-related costs, including staffing, security, public safety, and other operational needs tied to hosting the competition. The news was also accompanied by a report that the Orlando area drew a record 76.7 million visitors in 2025.
Earlier in the year, NBCUniversal announced that Universal Destinations & Experiences is the official theme park partner of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Theme park fans may be quick to spot the synchronicity between global theme park destinations and the LA28 venues, namely between Los Angeles as the Games’ host city and Orlando as the final Q-Series location, in addition to Tokyo and Shanghai as earlier Q-series hosts.
While no details have been officially announced at this time, there is a non-zero chance that Universal Parks and Disney Parks across the Olympics-involved destinations may take the opportunity to offer LA28-related or sports-centric offerings closer to the Games in 2028.
The nature of Universal’s “official theme park partner” status is also unclear at this time, though Comcast, Universal’s parent company, is a founding partner of the Olympic Games.
Are you making plans to attend LA28, or will you consider checking out one of the Q-Series earlier in 2028? Tell us about it on social media!
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Orlando to Host Final Olympic Qualifier Series Stop Ahead of 2028 Los Angeles Games – WDW News Today
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