IOC approves cricket’s inclusion for 2028 LA Games
Cricket’s return to the Olympics for the Los Angeles 2028 Games has been approved by the International Olympic Committee executive board.
Flag football, a non-contact version of American football, squash, lacrosse and baseball/softball are also in.
IOC members will now vote on Monday to ratify the board’s recommendation.
IOC president Thomas Bach said the new sports allow the Olympic movement to “engage with new athletes and fan communities”.
“Taking into consideration that these proposals and these sports are fully in line with the sports culture of our hosts in 2028, with the American sports culture, they will showcase iconic American sports to the world while bringing at the same time international sports to the United States,” Bach said.
Host cities are able to propose sports they would like added to the Olympic programme when they stage the event.
Cricket’s only previous appearance at the Olympics was at Paris 1900, when Great Britain beat France in the final. It was also the only match after the Netherlands and Belgium withdrew.
There is expected to be both a T20 men’s and women’s tournament at the LA Games, with the United States set to field a side as host nation.
The United States is co-hosting the men’s T20 World Cup with the West Indies in June 2024.
“We see the growing popularity of cricket, particularly the T20 format,” added Bach.
“This is a win-win situation. The Olympic Games will give cricket a global stage and the opportunity to grow beyond the traditional cricket countries and regions.
“And for the Olympic Movement, it’s the opportunity to engage with fan and athlete communities to which so far we have very little or even no access.”
The richest sports league in the world, the National Football League – which governs American football – was part of the flag football bid.
The NFL’s version of flag football is five-a-side, on a smaller pitch – 30 by 70 yards – and no contact is allowed, with players needing to pull the flag off the person with the ball instead of tackling.
“I think it’s the pinnacle of our sport, flag football rather than NFL,” president of the International Federation of Flag football Pierre Trochet told BBC Sport,
“This is the right time and the right market. We have 20 million players playing worldwide and 70 national federations united across five continents.”
Elsewhere, beach sprint rowing will make its debut at Los Angeles 2028 after being added to the programme.
Modern pentathlon is also included after the International Modern Pentathlon Union agreed to replace the showjumping discipline with obstacle racing, and reduce costs and complexity to make the sport more accessible.
Weightlifting will also feature after the IOC recognised improvements that have been made in its anti-doping efforts.
Any decision to include boxing remains on hold as the IOC has yet to recognise another governing body for the sport after withdrawing its recognition of the International Boxing Association earlier this year.
Boxing has been part of every Olympics since 1920 and will feature at Paris 2024.
“We want boxing on the programme,” said Bach. “We have no problem, with boxing or boxers – we have a problem with the governing body.”
IOC sports director Kit McConnell said the proposed schedule would see Los Angeles 2028 exceed the IOC’s previously announced limit of 10,500 athletes – imposed to limit costs – but would seek to limit the increase and the “impact it has on the existing sport”.