Cricket set to be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics: Report | Cricket News
In a pretty big development which will come as music to the ears of the cricket fans, the sport is set to be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, according to a report the Guardian.
The LA organising committee’s decision will be officially announced after the International Olympic Committee’s 141st session in Mumbai on Sunday, the report added.
The Olympics had earlier played host to cricket in 1900 when England played France in a single match to decide the gold medal. As per the report, in LA in 2028, there will be a T20 men’s and women’s tournament just like they had in the recently concluded Asian Games.
The International Cricket Council (ICC), meanwhile, was delighted at the decision. ICC Chairman Greg Barclay 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.”
“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,” he added.
In an earlier report the Indian Express, Michael Payne, a former marketing and broadcast rights director of the IOC who is familiar with its inner workings after working there for nearly two decades, had said that cricket remained a favourite to get the nod.Most Read
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Payne had cited the “current cricket boom” in the US, where some of the biggest tech firms have invested in the Major League. Adding to cricket’s advantage, Payne said, is that the 2032 Olympics will be held in Australia, where cricket is a major sport.
“In 2032, the Games are in Brisbane, Australia… there will be a local interest in cricket… And also from a business perspective, cricket is booming in America. The Los Angeles (organising) committee is headed a gentleman called Casey Wasserman, who is a very astute business leader and owns one of the world’s largest sports media groups. He could see the potential in cricket,” he had said.
And then, Payne had added, that there’s the IOC’s larger interest in wooing the cricket-loving Indian and South Asian fan base, besides tapping into the subcontinent’s vast market.
