Cricket is set for an Olympic return after appearing once before, at the 1900 Games; International Olympic Committee executive board confirmed on Friday it had approved including the sport at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, alongside flag football, lacrosse, squash and softball
Friday 13 October 2023 18:36, UK
Cricket is set for an Olympic return after appearing only once before at the Games, back in 1900 in Paris.
The International Olympic Committee executive board confirmed on Friday that it had approved including the sport at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, alongside flag football, lacrosse, squash and softball.
"We see the growing popularity of cricket, particularly the T20 format," IOC president Thomas Bach told a press conference at the end of the executive board meeting.
"We are ready to welcome the world's best players of cricket to perform in the United States in 2028, while showcasing iconic American sports to the world."
The Los Angeles Games proposal is for a six-team Twenty20 cricket tournament for men and women.
While all five sports' inclusion is only for one edition of the Games, they are banking on the boost provided by Olympic participation to spur growth as they look to remain an attractive product going into the next four-year cycle.
Baseball has featured in several previous Games. It was added to the Tokyo 2020 schedule after being left off in 2012 and 2016, but it will not be a part of next year's Paris Games.
Baseball, on the other hand, has featured in several previous Games. It was added to the Tokyo 2020 schedule after being left off in 2012 and 2016, but it will not be a part of next year's Paris Games.
Softball, the women's counterpart to baseball, has appeared at five previous editions of the Summer Games and was also left off the Paris agenda, while flag football, a non-contact format of American football, has not yet made the cut.
Lacrosse has been contested at five previous Games, dating back to 1908, and most recently in 1948, but only as a demonstration sport with no medal ceremony involved.
Squash has never featured in the Olympics at any point in its history, and not for a lack of trying. The World Squash Federation has made several failed attempts to have the sport included, but it was rejected by the IOC in favour of other sports, such as skateboarding, surfing, and breakdancing.
If included for the 2028 LA Olympics, it would be a landmark moment for the sport.
Bach said a decision on boxing's inclusion in the 2028 programme had been put on hold for the time being, following the IOC's withdrawal of recognition for the International Boxing Association (IBA) and the fact that no other body had yet been recognised in its place.
But he added: "I do not get tired to repeat that we want boxing on the programme, we have no problem with boxing, we have no problem with the boxers, we have just a huge problem with regard to the governing body."
