Cricket one of five sports approved for 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games - ‘This is a win-win situation!’
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ByEurosport
Updated 16/10/2023 at 09:23 GMT
Five sports have been confirmed by the IOC board for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Those sports are cricket, baseball/softball, flag football, squash and lacrosse. Cricket's inclusion comes at a boom for the sport in North America following the launch of the new US T20 franchise Major League Cricket. Plus the US will co-host the 2024 men's T20 World Cup with the West Indies.
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Cricket is set to return to the Olympics for the first time since 1900 with the news that its inclusion as one of five sports for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles has been confirmed by the International Olympic Committee board.
Cricket is one of five sports added, along with baseball/softball, flag football, squash and lacrosse. This was subsequently confirmed following an IOC members' on vote Monday, which confirmed the recommendations from the board.
Cricket is a growing sport in the US, with the country set to act as joint-hosts with the West Indies in next year’s men’s T20 World Cup, whilst a brand new franchise league, Major League Cricket, had its inaugural season in 2023, with MI New York beating the Seattle Orcas in the final.
Speaking about the announcement, IOC president Thomas Bach called the decision to include cricket as a win-win.
"We see the growing popularity of cricket, particularly the T20 format," said Bach.
"This is a win-win situation. The Olympic Games will give cricket a global stage and the opportunity to grow beyond the traditional cricket countries and regions.
"And for the Olympic Movement, it's the opportunity to engage with fan and athlete communities to which so far we have very little or even no access."
In the statement put out by the IOC, it confirmed that cricket will be a T20 tournament, one each for the men's and women's.
It will be just the second time ever that cricket has taken place at the Olympics, with just one previous match in 1900, when Great Britain beat France.
Speaking of all the sports that were approved, Bach said: "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 United States.
"These sports will make the Olympic Games LA28 unique. Their inclusion will allow the Olympic Movement to engage with new athlete and fan communities in the US and globally.”
Like cricket, baseball/softball and lacrosse are returning to the Olympics, whilst flag football and squash will both be debutants.
The IOC also released statements on three sports which were left off the provisional list of sports for 2028: boxing, modern pentathlon and weightlifting.
On boxing, the IOC put any decision on hold with no new governing body recognised.
The statement said: "Following the IOC Session’s decision to withdraw the recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA), the IOC has not recognised another governing body for Olympic boxing. Therefore, any decision regarding the inclusion of boxing on the LA28 sports programme is put on hold."
Modern pentathlon will be included with obstacle racing replacing horse riding and a commitment to reduce costs of running the event.
The statement said: "The IOC EB recommends its inclusion on the LA28 sports programme, acknowledging the replacement of horse riding with obstacle racing and the optimisation work conducted by the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) to reduce costs and complexity.
"The IOC EB noted that it is essential for the UIPM to continue to implement the necessary changes in governance and modernise as an organisation. Without the replacement of horse riding with obstacle racing, the sport would not have been included in the programme."
On weightlifting, the IOC said: "The IOC EB recommends its inclusion on the LA28 sports programme following the decision by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) to delegate its anti-doping management to the International Testing Agency (ITA) and its sanctioning to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) at least until the end of 2028.
"The effectiveness of the anti-doping programmes for the Paris 2024 Olympic qualification and Olympic competition will continue to be closely monitored by the IOC, as will the implementation of the governance and cultural changes adopted by the IWF."
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