Five sports, including cricket and flag football, proposed for inclusion at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics were approved by the International Olympic Committee executive board on Friday, leaving them with one last hurdle to seal their Olympic spots.
Organisers of the LA 2028 Games said this week they wanted cricket, flag football, lacrosse, squash and baseball-softball added to the event.
Each host city, under IOC rules approved a few years ago, can request the inclusion of several sports for their edition of the Games. “These proposals have been accepted as a package by the IOC Executive Board,” IOC President Thomas Bach told a press conference at the end of the executive board meeting.
“Taking into consideration that these proposals and these sports are fully in line with the sports culture of our hosts in 2028, with the American sports culture, they will showcase iconic American sports to the world while bringing at the same time international sports to the Unites States.”
The IOC session, starting on Sunday, will now have to rubberstamp the board’s recommendation.
T20 format
Cricket, which enjoys a massive appeal in India and a quickly growing global audience, is set for an Olympic return after appearing once at the 1900 Games. India is also considering bidding for future Olympics.
The Los Angeles Games proposal is for a six-team Twenty20 cricket tournament for men and women. T20 is a short format of the game.“The inclusion (of these sports)... will allow the Olympic movement to engage with new athletes and fan communities in the United States and globally,” said Bach.
“We see the growing popularity of cricket, particularly the T20 format. “We are ready to welcome the world’s best players of cricket to perform in the United States in 2028.”
NO HORSES
The IOC board also recommended the inclusion of modern pentathlon, after the international federation (UIPM) replaced horse riding with an obstacle running course following a horse-hitting scandal at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.
“UIPM was challenged..., finding a replacement for riding as one of the sport’s five disciplines, and that is exactly what we have done,” said UIPM president Klaus Schormann.
