In a historic and long-awaited move, Cricket is set to be included at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The LA2028 Organising Committee has recommended the inclusion of the sport in the Los Angeles Games. A final decision on the inclusion of the sport will be taken soon.
The LA28 officials recommended the inclusion of cricket to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in a list sent for approval. The final decision will be officially announced after the IOC’s 141st session in Mumbai on Sunday. T20 Men’s and Women’s tournament is likely to be included in the Games, just like the recent Asian Games.
Five sports have been proposed by the @LA28 Organising Committee for inclusion at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in five years' time:
⚾ Baseball-softball
🏏 Cricket
🏈 Flag football
🥍 Lacrosse
⚫ SquashThe final decision will be made in the coming days. pic.twitter.com/kU1303jY0A
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) October 9, 2023
Cricket was part of the 1900 Olympics when England and France played a one-off game for the Gold Medal. It was played in two recent editions of the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 and Birmingham in 2022. A second appearance of the Sport at the Olympics is likely in five years in Los Angeles.
A very significant landmark: ICC Chair Greg Barclay
International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Chairman Gred Barclay is pleased with the recommendation that cricket be included in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. He expressed that he is looking forward to the final decision. In a statement released by the ICC, Greg Barclay called it a significant landmark for the sport. He said,
“We are delighted that LA28 have recommended cricket for inclusion in the Olympics. While 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.”
“I’d like to thank LA28 for their support during the new sport evaluation process over last two years and we look forward to the final decision being taken at the IOC Session, in India, during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup next week,” he added.
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