Cricket may return to Olympics for LA 2028 games, IOC to decide on Sunday

International Olympic Committee, the panel responsible for organising the games is expected to make an official announcement soon, the committee is also expected to add squash and lacrosse

Cricket along with flag football, baseball and softball will be a part of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, as per media reports. 

With a global fanbase, Cricket is one of the most adored and emotional sport for India (though other sports are catching up in the country). 

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the panel responsible for organising the games is expected to make an official announcement soon, the committee is also expected to add squash and lacrosse to its palette of sports for the first time in its 2028 edition of the games.

The IOC will begin its 141st meeting on 15 October in Mumbai. These recommendations are being suggested by the Los Angeles organising committee and will be put forward in the meeting, but the final call will be made by the IOC.

Thomas Bach, IOC President was in favour of Cricket being added to games in 2028. But he also indicated that a T-20 format of the games is more apt for the Olympics. “The T-20 format was necessary with the traditional format. We could not have accommodated cricket in the Olympic programme but with a T-20 format, this would be very possible,” he told CNBC-TV18 in an interview.

If the bid gets accepted cricket will make a smashing return to the games after 128 years, as the last match was played between England and France for the Olympics Gold medal in 1900 Paris Olympics. However, as only Test cricket existed back then, the match went on for around 2 days.

India’s broadcast market is being cited as the biggest reason for the game’s promotion among the nine shortlisted sports to be added to the roster of 28 finalised sports for the 2028 showpiece event in the United States. The eight other sports on the shortlist include baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, break dancing, karate, kickboxing, squash, and motorsport.

Why would the Olympics give chances to cricket?

India is the answer to this. To leverage the Indian broadcast market which is growing exponentially IOC would include cricket on the roster. Paris Olympic games broadcast rights have been reportedly sold for 20 million dollars. If cricket makes it to the list, the figures for the broadcast rights of LA games and subsequent Brisbane Olympics in 2032 could fetch figures 10 times higher than Paris. 

Impact of ICC’s decision to co-host T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA

ICC decided to host the next T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies as a showcase for the game’s commercial viability in the United States. Major League Cricket (MLC)’s success shows that the game is indeed growing in the States. With several stadiums, inducing one in Los Angeles scheduled to be completed before the World Cup, cricket would not miss out on an Olympics berth because of the lack of infrastructure and commercial viability for sure. 

I'd like to thank LA28 for their support during the new sport evaluation process over 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, ICC chairman Greg Barclay said.

Cricket's entry into the Olympics will also go a long way in widening the reach of the sport.

India is the game's biggest market and value of the IOC broadcast deal in the country go up substantially following its inclusion in the 2028 edition.

(With inputs from PTI)