Cricket is all set to be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, needing only an official stamp of approval at the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session scheduled in Mumbai on October 15-16.
The Los Angeles organising committee, in its proposal to IOC, has recommended cricket in its T20 version as well as four other sports for the 2028 Games, it announced on Monday. The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed the same.
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“We are delighted that LA28 have recommended cricket for inclusion in the Olympics. Whilst this is not the final decision, it is a very significant landmark towards seeing cricket at the Olympics for the first time in more than a century,” ICC chairman Greg Barclay said in a statement.
Flag football, a variant of American football – USA is home to the National Football League (NFL) — baseball/softball, squash and lacrosse are the other sports recommended.
The LA organising committee’s nod for cricket was crucial and is a culmination of a two-year process with cricket’s world body. It will now be “reviewed and put forward by the IOC Executive Board for ratification” at the IOC Session in Mumbai.
The Los Angeles organising committee, in its proposal to IOC, has recommended cricket in its T20 version as well as four other sports for the 2028 Games, it announced on Monday. The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed the same.
We’re now on WhatsApp. Click to join.
“We are delighted that LA28 have recommended cricket for inclusion in the Olympics. Whilst this is not the final decision, it is a very significant landmark towards seeing cricket at the Olympics for the first time in more than a century,” ICC chairman Greg Barclay said in a statement.
Flag football, a variant of American football – USA is home to the National Football League (NFL) — baseball/softball, squash and lacrosse are the other sports recommended.
The LA organising committee’s nod for cricket was crucial and is a culmination of a two-year process with cricket’s world body. It will now be “reviewed and put forward by the IOC Executive Board for ratification” at the IOC Session in Mumbai.
With the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, Australia, cricket could see a more sustainable stint at the Games. Breaking (breakdancing), for instance, was added to the 2024 Paris Games but hasn’t been proposed by the LA organising committee.
USA, another huge sporting market that both ICC and IOC are eager to tap into, is also increasingly lapping up cricket. The ICC T20 World Cup next year will be co-hosted by the West Indies and USA. Casey Wasserman, chairperson of the LA organising committee, termed the new proposed sports as “relevant, innovative and community-based, played in backyards, schoolyards, community centers, stadiums and parks across the U.S. and the globe”.
“They will bring new athletes to the Games, engage diverse fanbases and expand the Games’ presence in digital spaces, further amplifying LA28’s mission to deliver an unparalleled experience,” Wasserman added.
Squash, after years of knocking on the Olympic doors without much success, has finally made headway and received the nod from the LA committee while baseball/softball, part of the Tokyo Games in 2021 but missing from the roster in Paris next year, is set to return.
