Julien Alfred Declines to Endorse LA28 Sprint Schedule as Her Team Cites Unfair Demands on Women

While the announcement that the women's 100m final will headline the first day of competition at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has generated considerable excitement, a key figure has voiced strong opposition, reigning Olympic champion Julien Alfred.

The St. Lucian sprinter and her team have raised serious concerns about the plan, which would see female athletes run three rounds of the 100m in a single day. For some competitors advancing from the preliminary round, this could mean four races in one day.

Henry Rolle, Julien Alfred's agent, formally expressed their objections in a letter sent to World Athletics on Friday.

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"While early visibility may be presented as a benefit, visibility without fairness does not constitute progress," Rolle stated in the letter, explaining why Julien Alfred "will not be offering a favourable comment" on the schedule.

He 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."

In contrast, World Athletics highlighted positive reactions from other top sprinters. Sha’Carri Richardson, the 2023 World Champion and Paris silver medallist, was quoted in a news release saying, "Track and field is having its moment, and the road to LA28 is about to be something special, especially for the women’s sprints."

British Olympic and world medalist Dina Asher-Smith also praised the move. "It will be an honour for the women’s 100m to open the LA Games," she said. "It’s such an exciting opportunity, celebrating the enduring legacy, strength and global power of women’s sprinting, exactly 100 years on from the first time women competed in Olympic Track and Field."

However, Rolle's letter argues that this scheduling decision is a regression for female athletes. He pointed to a history of unfair scheduling, citing the recent Paris Olympic Games as a clear example.

"Across multiple Olympic cycles, the scheduling of women’s short sprint events has repeatedly placed female athletes at a competitive and physiological disadvantage," he wrote.

"The most recent Summer Olympics made this unmistakably clear: The women’s 200m first round occurred less than 12 hours after the women’s 100m final."

Rolle detailed the gruelling post-race obligations for athletes like Julien Alfred, including anti-doping controls and media duties, which meant they returned to their accommodations "well after 3:00 a.m." only to rise hours later for the next event.

In Paris, Julien Alfred went on to win the silver medal in the 200m, finishing behind Gabby Thomas of the USA, who had not competed in the 100m.

The letter also highlights a disparity with the men's schedule in Los Angeles. Male sprinters will run their 100m preliminaries and first round on July 15, followed by the semifinals and final on the evening of July 16, giving them a day between their first and final rounds.

"As the esteemed coach Stephen Francis has openly stated, he would have no objection to such scheduling if the men were subjected to the same constraints," Rolle wrote. "They are not. This discrepancy reflects a structural inequity that must be addressed, not justified."

Instead of providing favourable comments, Rolle confirmed that he and Alfred are engaging with media in France and the United Kingdom to raise awareness and advocate for systemic change.

"Women athletes deserve equal conditions, equal protection, and equal respect," he asserted. "Anything less is unacceptable."

Meanwhile, Janet Evans, the Chief Athlete Officer for LA28 and an Olympic swimming legend, stated that organisers had consulted with their athletes' commission, which includes Allyson Felix and Queen Harrison, as well as the World Athletics’ Athletes Commission.

Janet Evans noted that while running three 100m races in one day is done in other competitions, it has never occurred at a World Championships.

She reported that the feedback was largely positive. "There was excitement," Evans said. "And for the few naysayers, the majority of the athletes said to me, ‘Just let me know… I will start training to run three 100m in one day, because it can be done. But I just need to schedule my training."

In his letter, Rolle further appealed directly to new IOC President Kirsty Coventry, with whom he overlapped at Auburn University, where he was a coach and she was a swimmer.