Cricket’s more than 100-year ban from the Olympics has come to an end after the sport was approved by the International Olympic Committee Board for inclusion at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
IOC President Thomas Bach, speaking after the second day of the executive board meeting in Mumbai on Friday, announced Twenty20 cricket as one of the five new sports, along with baseball, softball and flag football (unofficial). Officials said they had accepted LA organizers’ proposal to add it. contact American football), squash, and lacrosse.
But the final choice of which sports will be included in the 2028 program will be made at the IOC general meeting on Monday in Mumbai, one of the hotbeds for cricket, as India hosts the men’s 50-over Cricket World Cup. It will be voted on.
“This is a great opportunity for the IOC to engage with a new community of athletes and fans,” Bach said.
“We recognize the growing popularity of T20 cricket and look forward to welcoming the world’s best players to the United States in 2028,” he added.
Los Angeles leaders have proposed six-team T20 cricket for both men’s and women’s cricket, with the United States set to participate as host nation.
However, no firm decision will be taken on the number of teams or how they will be eligible until cricket receives formal approval on Monday.
Cricket’s last appearance was at the Paris Olympics in 1900, when the British team defeated the French national team.
The sport has been moving toward a return to the Olympics for more than a decade, backed by the Olympic movement.
Financially speaking, adding cricket to the Olympic program is an obvious move.
It will tap into the lucrative South Asian market and attract fans in countries such as India and Pakistan.
T20 cricket is the shortest international format in the sport.
The Indian Premier League, which features cricket’s biggest stars, is undoubtedly India’s economic engine for the sport, thanks to large numbers of fans and lucrative broadcast deals in a country where cricket is almost a religion. do not have.
Meanwhile, boxing’s position on the 2028 Games remains uncertain after the IOC stripped the International Boxing Association of its recognition following controversy over how the sport is run.
Boxing has been part of every Olympic Games since 1920 and will be held in Paris next year.
“We want to incorporate boxing into the show,” Bach said. “I have no problem with boxing or boxers, but I have a problem with the governing body.”
