Los Angeles track fans are finally getting their big-stage meet back. After last summer’s cancellations left the city without a marquee event, the USATF L.A. Grand Prix returns this weekend as a two-day showcase at USC’s Allyson Felix Field, doubling as an early preview of what fans can expect from the 2028 Olympic track program. Saturday opens with Para and distance events plus the women’s hammer throw, with a loaded, televised slate of sprints and field events set for Sunday.
According to USATF, the meet runs June 13–14 at Allyson Felix Field at Katherine B. Loker Track Stadium and includes the L.A. Distance Classic for Para and distance runners. The site links to the detailed schedule for both days along with ticket information.
After false starts
Last year’s edition was canceled in April 2025 after scheduling and venue conflicts, with USA Track & Field CEO Max Siegel pointing to another major meet booked in the same month. As reported by Los Angeles Times, that competing event was tied to Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track circuit, and this season the Grand Prix returns as a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold-level meet.
Big names and live TV
Sunday’s marquee session will be carried live on NBC and Peacock (4–6 p.m. ET / 1–3 p.m. PT), bringing prime-time production to a collegiate facility more used to Pac-12 crowds than world champions. Network press materials list headliners including Sha'Carri Richardson, Kenny Bednarek, Letsile Tebogo and Tara Davis-Woodhall, with a broadcast team fronted by Paul Swangard and Ato Boldon. NBC signaled that lineup as part of a broader effort to spotlight domestic meets ahead of LA28, per NBC Sports.
Where this fits in the season
The L.A. Grand Prix is one stop on the inaugural USATF Tour, a coast-to-coast series designed to tidy up the U.S. schedule while giving athletes prize money, travel support and valuable world ranking points on the road to national championships. That structure, combined with the star-heavy entry lists, has led some outlets to cast the meet as an early referendum on who is positioning for LA28, according to Yahoo Sports.
Local stakes and the Olympic build
Ato Boldon, the former UCLA standout turned NBC analyst, told the Los Angeles Times he has long believed Southern California should have a true signature meet, and that this field looks like the kind of lineup the city deserves. “I’ve always felt like L.A. needs a signature event,” Boldon said, per the Los Angeles Times, adding that the Grand Prix gives athletes and fans a meaningful checkpoint on the road to 2028.
Between a national TV window and a program built to chase ranking points, the meet offers Los Angeles a rare chance to see Olympic-level stars on a campus track. For anyone trying to read the tea leaves on U.S. hopes for LA28, this weekend shapes up as one of the clearest early looks at which names could still matter when the flame finally lands in town.
