There's been lots of talk recently in Olympic circles regarding the sports program for Los Angeles 2028 and beyond. Between existing Olympic sports boxing, weightlifting, and modern pentathlon facing potential expulsion, if you will, and the invitation from LA28 to other select sports for consideration, there's been plenty to ponder.

​That LA28 invitation went to nine governing bodies: breaking (which is set for Paris 2024 inclusion), baseball & softball and karate (both of which were unfortunately dropped after Tokyo 2020), squash, flag football, lacrosse, cricket, kickboxing, and motorsports.

​The latter of that list - motorsports is a possible watershed moment on the Olympic program, as it was only in 2012 that the IOC removed from its charter reference to not including any sports where motorization was a key element. 

Flag football would seem a stretch to this rather traditionalist, but there has been world championship events since 2002, and a way for 'American football' to receive a foothold into the Games. But I never thought I'd see breaking in the Games, either. We'll see what develops after these nine sports make their cases later this month. Current guidelines call for an overall athlete cap of 10,500 plus a global youth appeal, limited operation complexity, and sustainable environmental impact.

I know, not every sport can (or should) be in the Games. But in the meantime, though, below are my thoughts on the top ten sports or sport disciplines that I'd like to see make it into a Summer Olympic program. Or at least brought back as a demonstration sport!

What do you think should be in the Games? Let me know in the comments.

And check out my thoughts on recommended new Winter Olympic sports, too.

Egyptian Upset in Women's Squash Worlds
World #1 and top seed Laura Massaro of England was upset by 20-year old Egyptian Nour El Sherbini in the title match of the Women's World Open Squash Championship in Kuala Lumpur, despite being two games up to start. For El Sherbini, she becomes the youngest-ever world champion and will rise to the top ranking after entering the tournament as the fifth seed. Hometown favorite - and previous youngest-ever champion from 2005 - Nicol David of Malaysia finished her run in the quarterfinals at the hands of El Sherbini. David had been the second seed. Egypt also enjoyed both of the two bronze medals, as Nouran Gohar and Raneem El Weleily made the semifinals.

Russia Wins World Fencing Titles
In one of the more ridiculous effects of the IOC trying to cap the number of athletes, fencing is limited to ten medal events at any Olympics. So, each quadrennial, fencing's FIE rotates out a men's and women's team event to sit out the Games. And then, the Olympic year's fencing world championships feature those two events - and only those two. And, adding insult - the 2016 championships were held in Rio as a test event for the Games. This year, the unfortunate team events held were men's sabre and women's foil. Russa emerged the winner in both, with Hungary and Romania rounding out the podium on the men's sabre side and Italy and France on the women's foil. Twenty men's sabre and thirteen women's foil teams participated.

Denmark Leads Europe in Badminton
​At the European Badminton Championships in La Roche Sur Yon, France, Denmark swept four of the five titles on hand to lead the way for European badminton. The eleven Danish medals included titles for Viktor Axelsen over Jan Jorgensen in men's singles, and a sweep of the three doubles titles (men's, women's, and mixed). Danish strength is so deep that they won four medals in doubles competitions  - not including the golds. The one title to escape was, as expected, by Spain's world champion Carolina Marin in the women's singles competition. Although, Denmark did win both bronze medals there. With three medals, the Netherlands finished in second place on the overall medal table, with England securing two bronzes for third place.

While China Dominates in Asia
At the same time, the Badminton Asia Championships were held in Wuhan, with China securing the overall medal table with seven medals. Chinese titles came in women's singles and mixed doubles, marking China the only nation with multiple golds. South Korea finished with five medals, including gold in men's doubles, with Japan earning three overall medals, including both the gold and silver in women's doubles. Notably, China was shut out off the podium in that event, while overall, Malaysia (one overall medal), India (one), and Indonesia (two) all made their mark on various podiums as well.

And at Weightlifting, Too
China, as well, topped the medal table at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent this week - winning twelve total medals across men's and women's competitions combined to lead the continent. Thailand finished second with seven, while both Iran and Taiwan finished with four. (um, if Iran devoted resources to women's weightlifting they'd probably give China a good run...) In all, fifteen nations won at least one medal, including the Philippines and Mongolia. The event also served as an Olympic qualifier.

Gaultier Finally Wins Squash World Championship
After four previous finals appearances in 13 Championship appearances, Frenchman Gregory Gaultier finally won the world title, after defeating Egyptian #7 seed Omar Mosaad, 3-0 at the squash World Open Championship in Bellevue. The #3 seed entering the tournament, Gaultier defeated England's James Willstrop in the semifinal round to earn a another chance at the world championship, after reaching the final last in 2013. His long, illustrious career has been marked by a #1 ranking in 2009, with two U.S. Open and two British Open titles.

While Djokovic Wins His Fourth Straight ATP Final
Novak Djokovic of Serbia defeated long-time rival Roger Federer of Switzerland to claim the year-end ATP World Finals in London, 6-3 6-4 this weekend. The victory is Djokovic's fourth straight in the event, his fifth overall since 2008, the second straight over Federer and the third overall Finals win against him. (Quite a rivalry!) It also completes a year in which he won all Grand Slams except the French, a feat he also had achieved in 2011.

49er Sailing Worlds Decided
After six days of competition, the 49er and 49erFX Worlds concluded with skiff class champions crowned and Olympic berths secured in Buenos Aires. On the women's 49erFX side, Italians Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich won the gold, after a solid victory in the final race, which had featured six teams with enough potential podium points. Team Brazil - Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze - finished second, with Denmark's Ida Nielsen and Marie Olson third (ahead of another Danish boat in fourth). Argentina (11th), Singapore (13th), and Canada (17th) won boat entries for Rio. For the men in the 49er class, the drama was certainly less for the gold, as New Zealanders Peter Burling and Blair Tuke had a 30-point lead into the final race. They did secure their third straight World Championship - and their 23rd straight win the the skiff class, while Nathan Outerridge and Iain Jensen of Australia overcame three other boats for the silver. Spain's Federico Alonso and Arturo Alonso secured bronze. Poland (4th), Germany (5th), and Argentina (7th) won the Olympic berths on hand.

South Korea Crowned Baseball World Champs
The inaugural WBSC Premier12 concluded over the weekend in Tokyo, with South Korea taking the gold over the U.S., 8-0. The final marked the 1st time the U.S. has lost to their rivals since the 2008 Olympics in a major tournament, and came as a surprise given the Koreans' #8 ranking. With the prospect of baseball returning to the Games in 2020, the relatively new World Baseball Softball Confederation launched the tournament as the world championship, featuring the top 12-ranked teams. Participation in this Championship also included Japan (3rd place), Mexico, Canada, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Italy, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.