The International Olympic Committee and the LA28 organisers can leverage the subcontinent's obsession with the sport to command higher media rights and brand interest, while the game will grow from exposure on the global stage
India's Ravindra Jadeja (left) appeals against Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan (in green) during the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup match between India and Pakistan in Ahmedabad. As the sport makes it to the LA Olympics in 2028, the IOC will hope to cash in on such storied rivalries from the subcontinent Image: Sajjad Husssain / AFP
After months of will-it-won’t-it, cricket has finally exited the corridor of uncertainty and made it to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics (LA28).
On Monday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members, at its 141st session in Mumbai, voted overwhelmingly (but not unanimous, with two votes against) for cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics. IOC President Thomas Bach had all but confirmed it on Friday, announcing that the executive body has accepted the LA organising committee’s proposal for the inclusion of the sport among a package of five—along with baseball/softball, lacrosse, squash and flag football—but the voting made it official.