The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session, on Monday (October 16), approved the proposal from the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 to introduce five new sports to the Olympic programme. These new sports include baseball/softball, cricket (T20), flag football, lacrosse (sixes), and squash, and they will be part of the programme at the LA28 Olympic Games. The approval from IOC is a positive step towards expanding the range of sports represented at the Games. Notably, cricket returns to Games with 2028 Los Angeles Olympics since its exclusion from the event back in 1990.
"The proposal from the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 ( @LA28) to include five new sports in the programme has been accepted by the IOC Session. Baseball/softball, cricket (T20), flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash will be in the programme at LA28," tweeted IOC.
The inclusion of cricket in the Olympic program is anticipated to significantly increase the value of India's broadcasting rights for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is expected that the popularity of cricket will surely help enhance the appeal and commercial potential of the Olympic Games. As per several media reports, cricket tournaments in Olympics are planned to feature six teams for both men and women, competing in T20 format. However, official announcement regarding qualification process and format for cricket at Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games is yet to be announced.
"The moment we got to know that we could also be potentially a part of the Olympics, we were all really excited," Harmanpreet Kaur was quoted as saying by Olympics.com . "Everyone’s really looking forward to LA28 and we hope that we can perform at the Olympics the same way we did at the Asian Games."