By Owen Gorsuch, Staff Writer

As the world says “arrivederci” to the Milan Cortina Games, attention shifts to the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, the first Olympiad held in the United States in 26 years.

The Los Angeles Games include the debut of flag football and squash, but I believe that motorsports deserve to be Olympic sports too.

At first, motorsports might not seem like athletically-demanding sports, but driving cars fast requires as much hard work as current Olympic sports. For example, Formula One drivers experience up to five G’s of force. This is similar to the amount of G-forces felt by bobsledders.

Not all Olympic events require the same amount of athleticism. Curling, golf and table tennis do not require the same type of athleticism as sports like hockey, gymnastics and cycling, yet all require massive amounts of skill.

If the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy can compete as Olympians, then drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen should have the chance to represent their countries.

While it is unlikely that motorsports will become Olympic sports, it is still fun to think about how motorsports at the Olympics would work. If I was International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry, here are the motorsports events I would hold at the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Motorsports would be split into several disciplines. The first discipline is circuit racing. I envision this as the flagship Olympic motorsports event, because it finally answers the age-old question: who is faster, Formula One or IndyCar drivers?

In keeping with the Olympic spirit, the cars used for the event will be standardized, based on Formula 2 cars. The venue for circuit racing is the legendary Laguna Seca Raceway, located in Monterey, Calif. two hours south of San Francisco, providing a tough challenge for drivers to overcome.

Speaking of the drivers, here are a selection of drivers I believe would have a chance at a circuit racing gold medal. The old guard of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hülkenberg, Will Power of Australia, Fernando Alonso and New Zealand’s Scott Dixon go up against young drivers Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli to stake their claim as the best in the world.

Meanwhile, Álex Palou of Spain, Charles Leclerc, Verstappen, Lando Norris and George Russell are all in the prime of their careers, with an Olympic gold medal being the cherry on top. As for Team USA, two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden and Formula 2 driver Colton Herta look to secure a gold medal on home soil.

Lastly, there are two dark horses worth mentioning. 2025 NASCAR Rookie of the Year Shane van Gisbergen of New Zealand shocked the world winning his first NASCAR race in Chicago. Hailing from Monterrey, Mexico, Pato O’Ward was the IndyCar runner-up last year. Racing in the city named after his birthplace, O’Ward would have the opportunity to win Mexico’s first Olympic gold medal in 16 years.

Moving from the circuit to the forest, rallying is the next discipline held. For the uninitiated, rallying is a race consisting of multiple stages with cars competing one at a time. The course I have selected for the Los Angeles Games is the American Rally Association (ARA) Olympus Rally course, run to FIA Rally2 regulations. The Olympus Rally is a 366 mile journey through the trails surrounding Shelton, Wash. 90 minutes from Seattle.

X Games legend Travis Pastrana and Lia Block, daughter of the late great Ken Block, are Team USA’s best chance at a gold medal in rallying. But they would face tough competition from the World Rally Championship’s top drivers, setting up an exciting race in the woods of Washington.