Cricket is set to return to the Olympic Games. This recommendation has come from organizers of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics to have the sport included in the marquee global event. This would see cricket (T20 format) being part of the Summer Games for the first time since 1900. The announcement was made on Monday.
Dr Kishore Shallow, President of Cricket West Indies welcomed the news. He said:
The Los Angeles 2028 Olympics’ recommendation for cricket inclusion at the Games is a monumental step that could see more significant opportunities for cricket and the Caribbean Community. I share my International Cricket Council (ICC) Colleagues’ enthusiasm about this progress and commend all stakeholders for advancing this ambition.
The ICC also expressed delight at the decision. After a two-year process, in which the 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 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 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.
Four other sports – flag football, lacrosse, squash and baseball-softball are also expected to be added to the LA28 Games.
In building the Olympic sport programme, we were willing to challenge the status quo and think differently about what’s possible for the Games in Los Angeles,
LA28 CEO Kathy Carter said in a statement.
-CWI
