The International Olympic Committee has approved five proposed sports for inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, including flag football and cricket. The LA 2028 Games’ organizers aim to include cricket, flag football, lacrosse, squash, and baseball-softball in the competition. The IOC regulations allow host cities to request multiple sports to be included in their edition of the Games.
IOC President Thomas Bach stated at a press conference following the executive board meeting that “These proposals have been accepted as a package by they IOC Executive Board.”
“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, which begins on Sunday, will now have to approve the board’s suggestion.
Cricket, which has a big following in India and a rapidly rising global audience, is likely to make its Olympic debut after previously competing at the 1900 Games.
India is also thinking about bidding for future Olympics.
A six-team Twenty20 cricket tournament for men and women is proposed for the Los Angeles Games. T20 is a game format that is 20 minutes long.
“The inclusion (of these sports)… will allow the Olympic movement to engage with new athletes and fan communities in the United States and globally,” Bach said.
“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.”
While the inclusion of all five sports is just for one edition of the Games, they are counting on the boost offered by Olympic participation to spur expansion as they seek to remain an appealing Olympic offering in the following four-year cycle.
Flag football is a non-contact version of American football played by five-man teams.
Baseball has appeared in past Games. It was added to the Tokyo 2020 programme after being left off in 2012 and 2016, but it will not be included in the Paris Games.
Softball, baseball’s female equivalent, has appeared in five previous Summer Games but has been omitted from the Paris schedule.