Cricket included for 2028 Los Angeles Olympics: IOC

In a landmark decision, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday, October 13, approved the game of cricket for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The development came a day after IOC President Thomas Bach chaired an Executive Board meeting at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on Thursday.

With this, cricket will be played in the Olympics for the first time since the 1900 Paris Games.

In a press briefing, Kit McConnell, Sports Director of IOC said, as quoted by Economic Times:

"Los Angeles Committee proposed five games which can be the part of Los Angeles Olympics - which include Cricket. EB (Executive Board) will take up the matter in tomorrow's meeting."

The announcement came days after the International Cricket Council (ICC) proposed the inclusion of cricket in the Summer Olympics. The statement read:

"After a two-year process, in which ICC worked closely with LA28, the list of sports to be added in LA included cricket, which will now be put forward for approval to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).”

ICC Chairman Greg Barclay expressed his delight at the news. In a statement, he said:

"We are delighted that LA28 have recommended cricket for inclusion in the Olympics. Whilst 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.”

He added:

“I'd like to thank LA28 for their support during the new sport evaluation process over the 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."

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Anurag Thakur reacts to the inclusion of cricket in the Olympics

Indian Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has welcomed the inclusion of cricket in the Olympics. He said that the move would surely benefit 190 countries that lack proper infrastructure and facilities to play cricket. He told the reporters on Friday (October 13), as quoted by ANI:

"There are two sides to this. First is how the ICC looks at it with regard to profit or loss. If cricket is made a part of the Olympics by the International Olympic Committee and the ICC, it would get easier for cricketing nations to allocate a budget for the sport. It will come as a massive boon for cricket in those 190 countries which lack proper infrastructure and facilities for the sport.”

Team India recently competed in the 2023 Asian Games in China, where both men’s and women’s teams won gold under the captaincy of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Harmanpreet Kaur.