The International Olympic Committee confirmed on Friday that T20 cricket will be included in the Olympics 2028, which will be hosted in Los Angeles, California.
According to sources, the major event will see the comeback of cricket, along with four other sports: baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, and squash.
IOC President Thomas Bach stated at a media briefing on Friday that all five sports were “in line” with the overall idea of the LA28.
Bach said, “These proposals have been accepted as a package by the IOC executive board taking into consideration that these proposals and these sports are fully in line with the sports culture of our host in ’28, with the American sports culture.”
He added, “The inclusion will, on the other hand, allow the Olympics to engage with new athletes and fan communities in the US and globally.”
The International Cricket Council (ICC) proposed a men’s and women’s six-team T20 tournament. The top-six ranked sides in the ICC’s men’s and women’s T20 rankings as of a certain cut-off date would compete.
Furthermore, the ICC supported the T20 format since LA28 and the IOC highlighted the necessity for a format with a world championship, a brief length (excluding ODIs), and a sizable audience (excluding T10).
However, it is uncertain whether the ICC has finalized the tournament structure, which was still being debated until recently.
Meanwhile, Cricket, which is played by approximately half of the world’s population, has only appeared in the global games once, 128 years ago at the Paris Olympics. On that occasion, a single match was held, in which Great Britain defeated hosts France to win the gold medal. The game lasted two days and included four innings, just like a first-class match.
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Source: Pro Pakistani