Cricket to be part of 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in T20 format

In what has emerged as incredibly wonderful news for cricket lovers around the world, the sport will feature as one among the five new entrants for the 2028 Olympic games in Los Angeles.

The LA Local Organising Committee (LOCOG) had recommended the inclusion of the sport alongside others like baseball/softball, squash, flag football and lacrosse and voting for the same was done on Monday in Mumbai by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The decision was approved with a majority as only two members voted against it, as per IOC President Thomas Bach. Niccolo Campriani, director of LA LOCOG, explained how the T20 format will help get more fans hooked to the game because of the thrill that it brings with it. He feels that the timing seems perfect with the West Indies and the USA also hosting the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Here's what Campriani was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo:

"We are thrilled to welcome the world's second-most popular sport with an estimated 2.5 billion fans worldwide. Some of you might be wondering why in LA? Well, the commitment to grow cricket in the US is real, and it's already happening with the launch of the very first Major League Cricket season earlier this year, which exceeded all expectations. And the [men's] T20 World Cup in 2024 coming to US and West Indies."

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LA LOCOG director on Virat Kohli's influence in cricket

Campriani also shed light on the amount of following that star player Virat Kohli has on social media and how it will help drive the game to an audience that not necessarily has consumed the game regularly in the USA.

On this, he stated:

"We all recognise the critical importance of a strong digital presence in order to keep the games relevant for the youth. And cricket is offering a unique platform to do so. Think [about] my friend here Virat. He's the third-most followed athlete in the world on social media with 314 million followers. That's more than LeBron James, Tom Brady and Tiger Woods combined. This is the ultimate win-win for LA 28."

The sport has featured just once in the Olympics before, way back in 1900 when Great Britain beat France in a one-off Gold medal match.