Cricket is set to feature in the 2028 Olympics as the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Executive Board on Friday approved the proposal of Los Angeles Games organisers to include the sport in the programme. IOC president Thomas Bach, speaking after the second day of an executive board meeting in Mumbai, said officials had accepted a proposal by LA organisers for cricket to be included as one of five new sports together with baseball/softball, flag football (non-contact American football), squash and lacrosse.
Los Angeles chiefs have proposed a six-team event, in both men’s and women’s T20 cricket, with the United States set to field sides as the host nation.
But no firm decision on the number of teams or how they are qualified will be taken unless and until cricket receives formal ratification on Monday. But as far as cricket is concerned, the number of teams will be finalised by January 2025 as the IOC is looking at having six teams per gender.
“The proposal of the Los Angeles Organising Committee to introduce five new sports and these five sports are baseball and softball, flag football, lacrosse, squash and cricket – these proposals have been accepted as a package by the IOC executive board taking into consideration that these proposals,” Thomas Bach said.
“These sports are fully in line with the sports culture of our host in 2028 with the American sports culture, they will showcase iconic American sports to the World while bringing at the same time international sports to the United States. They inclusion will, on the other hand, allow the Olympic Movement to engage with new athletes and fan communities in the US and globally. The IOC EB also reviewed the status of the three sports that were not part of the initial sports programme for LA 2028,” the IOC president added.
Cricket has been seen at two editions of the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 and Birmingham in 2022, while the sport hasn’t been part of the Olympic Games since England defeated France in a one-off match in Paris to clinch the Gold medal in 1900.
But a second appearance at the Olympics is on the cards in the USA in five years’ time.
There was a long list of criteria that needed to be satisfied before cricket was to be ‘recognised’ by the International Olympic Committee. It was only after taking control of the women’s game in 2005 and introducing a WADA-compliant anti-doping code in 2006 that the International Cricket Council (ICC) ticked all the major boxes.
Modern pentathlon, featuring obstacle racing rather than horse-riding, and weightlifting have also been restored to the programme.
IOC sports director Kit McConnell said the proposed schedule would see LA 2028 exceeding the IOC’s previously announced limit of 10,500 athletes — a quota imposed to limit the host nation’s costs in staging a Games.
McConnell added the IOC aimed to “limit the increase, but limit the impact on the existing sport”.
Meanwhile, the status of boxing at the 2028 Games remains uncertain after the IOC stripped the International Boxing Association of its recognition following a dispute over how the sport is governed.
Boxing has been part of every Olympics since 1920 and will feature at next year’s Paris Games.
“We want boxing on the programme,” said Bach. “We have no problem, with boxing or boxers — we have a problem with the governing body.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
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