Teams ready for the 2028 Summer Games
Damoy Rowe
Cricket is set to make a return to the Summer Olympics, 128 years after its first and only appearance in the 1900 Games in Paris, France.
The development was confirmed by LA28 on Monday in a media release where it stated that cricket – along with baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, and squash, have all been recommended for “potential inclusion” as new sports in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, a decision which has been taken by LA28 and recommended to the International Olympics Committee (IOC).
While it didn’t feature in the original list of 28 sports finalized by the IOC last February, cricket’s efforts to be part of the Olympics received a significant boost last July when it was added to a shortlist of nine to be reviewed by the IOC for addition.
During its presentation in front of LA28, the ICC proposed a six-team T20 event for both men and women. The participating teams would comprise the top-six ranked sides in the ICC’s men’s and women’s T20 rankings on a cut-off date. The ICC then recommended that the T20 format is the best format to be used since both LA28 and the IOC had emphasised that the format should be one in which there is a world championship conducted, has a compact duration, and has significant spectator interest, which therefore ruled out the T10 and ODI formats.
The IOC executive board is expected to present a proposal during the 141st IOC session in Mumbai from October 15-17. If approved, the final event programme and the number of athletes to feature in the various sports will be finalised in the future, according to the IOC.
With a sport that is played by nearly half the world’s population, cricket has featured only once in the global games.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Kishore Shallow has voiced his excitement at the recommendation, dubbing it as a “monumental step” for cricket to be considered for inclusion at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, which could see more significant opportunities for cricket and the Caribbean community.
In Paris 1900, just one game was played where Great Britain pipped hosts France to the gold medal. On that occasion, the game was played over two days and consisted of four innings, like a first-class fixture.