India’s most followed and worshipped sport – cricket, might be included in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, according to a report by The Indian Express. The report suggests that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is looking to tap into a new fan base, and including cricket in the Olympics might just do that trick. The decision on the same will be taken between October 15 -16. More than 100 members of the IOC will participate in Mumbai to vote for a new sport to be added to the games.
2028 Olympics: IOC Committee to decide fate of cricket
One of the IOC meetings will also be held by the end of this week where the IOC’s executive board will be suggesting the list of sports to be included in the 2028 Olympic games. The board is scheduled to meet in Lausanne city of Switzerland on September 8. After the suggestions are put forth, the final decision will then be taken by another IOC committee in Mumbai between Oct 15 – 16.
Cricket – The front runner for Olympics
Among the other sports that are also looking for a spot in the Olympics include kickboxing, flag football, baseball-softball, karate, lacrosse, squash, breakdancing, and motorsport. The IE report further suggests that according to Michael Payne, a senior member of IOC, cricket is among the front-runners to be included at the 2028 games. Payne further noted that with several top-notch Tech firms investing in the major leagues, there is an increased potential for cricket to be included in the games.
It is worth noting that India is looking to host the Olympics in 2036. The game was last played in 1900, where the gold medal match was played between two teams which represented France and Britain. Since then, cricket was not included in the games.