BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - AFTER being left out the biggest stage of sports and athletics for more than a century, cricket will be making a return to the Olympic Games in 2028 after it got ratification yesterday (Oct. 16) at a meeting in Mumbai, India.
It was long rumoured that cricket was amongst five sports that gained the nod for inclusion in the Los Angles Games.
In its statement, the ICC said it has led the proposal and expansive two-year process for cricket to be added to the Olympic Games programme with LA28 also recommending its inclusion to the IOC last week.
“The Olympic Games is estimated to have an audience of more than three billion viewers across TV and digital platforms, representing a unique opportunity for cricket to engage new audiences. This will further boost the popular sport’s reach across the world, opening the door to a new generation of cricket enthusiasts and fans,” the ICC said.
ICC Chairman Greg Barclay said, "We are thrilled that cricket’s inclusion in the LA28 Olympic Games has been confirmed by the IOC Session today.”
He is hopeful that the inclusion of cricket in LA28 means that they would have further opportunities to expand the game into future Games.
T20 Cricket, Baseball/Softball, Flag Football, Lacrosse (sixes) and Squash were ratified yesterday, and the IOC said that the choices were in line with the “American sports culture and will showcase iconic American sports to the world, while bringing international sports to the United States”.
IOC President Thomas Bach said: “These sports will make the Olympic Games LA28 unique. Their inclusion will allow the Olympic Movement to engage with new athlete and fan communities in the US and globally.”
When it comes to cricket, the ICC confirmed that the Games would only feature six teams based on the yet to be determined cutoff window.
In a press conference yesterday morning, Cricket West Indies President, Kishore Shallow said that should the West Indies have a qualifying nation team - not the West Indies umbrella - a determination would have to be made on how the team would be selected.
