Jay Shah Confirms BCCI And ICC Are Working To Include Cricket In Olympics 2028: Report

It was also reported that if included in Olympics, cricket will be an 8-team medal sport for men and women. Will we see cricket at Los Angeles Olympics 2028?

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New Delhi: Cricket, as a sport has been excluded from the list of Olympic Sports, despite it inventing newer and shorter formats of the game. It is common knowledge that reluctance from cricket boards like BCCI and ECB has hindered its entry as an Olympic Sport. It is now learned that The International Cricket Council (ICC)’s has proposed to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to include cricket in the list of sports for the Los Angeles Olympics 2028. 

There has been discussion about cricket being included as a sport in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has put a full stop to the speculation by saying that India will be "participating" in the Olympics and that BCCI and ICC are on the same page regarding the matter. 

“Once cricket is added in the Olympics, India will be participating. The BCCI and the ICC are on the same page as far as participation in the Olympics is concerned,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah told Hindustan Times. 

Jay Shah announcing prizes on behalf of BCCI: 

INR 1 Cr. - 🥇 medallist @Neeraj_chopra1

50 lakh each - 🥈 medallists @mirabai_chanu & Ravi Kumar Dahiya

25 lakh each – 🥉 medallists @Pvsindhu1, @LovlinaBorgohai, @BajrangPunia

INR 1.25 Cr. – @TheHockeyIndia men's team @SGanguly99| @ThakurArunS| @ShuklaRajiv

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) August 7, 2021

Apart from the one-off match that was played between Great Britain and France in the 1900 Olympics, there hasn't been any cricket at the Olympic Games. The reason for cricket not being included in the Olympics is said to be the disagreements between BCCI and  Indian Olympic Association (IOA). In an Apex Council meeting in April 2021, BCCI had agreed to participate in Olympics only if there wasn't any interference from the IOA. 

A BCCI official was also quoted saying that the cricket board, government, and the Olympic committee are all working together in tandem. 

“The BCCI is more than happy to work together with the government and help increase India’s medal chances,” a BCCI official said. 

It was also reported that if included, cricket will be an 8-team medal sport for men and women. Apart from the Olympics, cricket will be played in the upcoming Commonwealth Games as well as in the Asian Games.