T20 Cricket set to be included in LA 2028 Olympics - Reports

Published at :October 9, 2023 at 9:05 PM

Modified at :October 9, 2023 at 9:06 PM

Los Angeles will host the summer Olympics in 2028.

In a historic move for the game, cricket is set to be included in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. According to a few media reports, cricket is set to get a green flag along with football, baseball, and softball. Olympics 2028 will be held in USA, and Los Angeles will host the biggest sporting event in the world. The games will be played in July, and LA Olympics committee will be going public in 1 or 2 days with their choices of sports picked for the event.

The committee can also approve lacrosse and squash as the events picked for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Mumbai will be hosting the 141st IOC session in Mumbai, and this decision will be made public formally. Big discussions have taken place between LA authorities and IOC regarding the induction of cricket and other sports. Cricket will be making inroads into the biggest sporting event for the second time in history.

Second time for Cricket at Olympics

Two teams played in only one gold medal match at the 1900 Olympics in Paris. Great Britain took on a mixed nations team in the 1900 Olympic games, where Great Britain won the gold medal as they defeated mixed nations XI by 158 runs. Los Angeles will host the T20I format of cricket in the Olympics, and this will help make cricket popular and make inroads in other countries as well.

The IOC wanted to cater to the huge Indian audience, and Indian broadcasting markets made cricket an obvious choice even after a lot of deliberations went on in recent years. The only challenge will be all the teams sending their first strength squad for the tournament, and they have to have a discussion with the ICC and plan future tour programs accordingly.

Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou hosted the cricket tournament, but the top-ranked ACC teams had to send a second-string squad due to the dates colliding with the big ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. India won gold in the women's and men’s events. Induction in the Olympics will be a major boost for sports at large, as this will increase the market for cricket around the world.