Four megacities in Asia and North America will host the second such series – the first was held at the initiative of the IOC in 2024 in Shanghai and Budapest. In addition to the expansion of the calendar, the tournament has been officially renamed the Q-Series.
"This will be an exciting global event on the eve of the Olympic Games," said IOC President Kirsty Coventry. – One format, four stages, six sports. Our goal is to attract fans from a wide variety of countries and increase the recognition of athletes. The Q-Series will be a real festival connecting sports with music and culture, and star athletes with iconic cities around the world.
The exact competition program will be determined later. It is expected that it will also be expanded – for the first time, Olympic selections in skateboarding, rock climbing, BMX freestyle and break dancing were held as part of the series. Since the latter was not included in the schedule of the 2028 Games, it should be replaced by the game disciplines of 3x3 basketball, beach volleyball and flag football.
But the order and time of the stages are already known – they will be double. Fans in Asia will be the first to see the Q-Series: the launch in Tokyo is scheduled for May 4-8, and in Shanghai on May 11-14. The series will move to North America a month later. The stage in Montreal will be held from 1 to 4 June, and in Orlando from 8 to 11 June. The competitions will be organized by the IOC in cooperation with the international federations for the respective sports.
