Cricket is officially returning to the Olympic Games after 128 years. The sport will be played in the T20 format at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, as confirmed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). There will be six teams in both the men’s and women’s events, with a total of 90 players taking part in each category.
The IOC approved the event programme for the LA Olympics on Wednesday, 9 April. This major sporting event will have 351 medal competitions — 22 more than the Paris 2024 Olympics. The number of athletes allowed remains at 10,500, but an extra 698 athletes will be added for the five new sports, the IOC said.
Five new sports to join Olympics
Cricket is one of five new sports added to the 2028 Games. The other four are squash, flag football, baseball/softball, and lacrosse. All these sports will be played in Los Angeles for the first time in Olympic history.
Cricket will follow the T20 format, which is the shortest international version of the game. Nearly 100 countries play T20 Internationals, unlike Test or ODI formats, which are played by fewer nations. The qualification rules for cricket have not been decided yet, but the USA, as the host country, may get direct entry into the tournament.
Cricket’s Olympic journey and future plans
Cricket’s journey back to the Olympics began in August 2021, when the International Cricket Council (ICC) started campaigning to include it. The ICC worked closely with the LA28 Organising Committee, and in October 2023, cricket was officially proposed as a new Olympic sport.
Recently, cricket has been featured in other big multi-sport events. In the 2022 Commonwealth Games, women’s cricket was played for the first time, with Australia winning gold and India winning silver. At the 2023 Asian Games, India won gold in both men’s and women’s cricket.
ICC Chairman Jay Shah is also planning for cricket’s future in the Olympics, including the 2032 Brisbane Games.
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