Cricket May Be Included In 2028 Los Angeles Olympic's Proposal To International Olympic Committee

Cricket is expected to be included in LA28's proposal to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said a CNBC-TV18 report quoting sources. The final decision on whether to include cricket in the LA28 Olympics can likely be announced at the IOC Session in Mumbai, scheduled to be held in Mumbai between October 15 to 17.

Earlier, IOC President Thomas Bach reportedly said that he was in favor of cricket's inclusion in the Olympics but the decision would be up to Los Angeles as it would be the host country. The host city can include any sport but needs approval from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC would take a final decision on the matter thereafter, he added.

The IOC President also suggested that the T20s format of cricket makes the most sense for the Olympics. The report cited Thomas Bach as saying, "The T-20 format was necessary with the traditional format. We could not have accommodated cricket in the Olympic program but with a T-20 format, this would be very possible."

Earlier, cricket was played at the Olympics in the 1900 Games in Paris when the competition was only between France and England. In this game, Britain beat a team of mostly English expatriates representing France by 158 runs to win gold.

However, this time, the ICC has proposed a six-team competition for men as well as women.

It is worth mentioning that the defining date for cricket to make it to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles was September 8, but the meeting was postponed.

The ICC is believed to be willing to grow the game in the US - which is cricket's third largest broadcast market after India and Britain on account of the Indian and Pakistani diaspora.

Bach's exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18 last month, however, implied that cricket can make it to the world's foremost sports competition if any future hosts propose it.