Cricket could be a part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

For those who used to say cricket was played by only a few countries, this a refreshing change. After all, even the USA is taking up cricket very seriously now.

Cricket could be a part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

Cricket could be a part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

At a time when the rare breed of purists in cricket say the traditional format is dying, here is some hot news. The possibility of cricket’s inclusion as a competitive sport in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is increasing by the day. After the success of cricket (only women’s T20) at the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham last summer, cricket has become a talking point, even further.

In Birmingham, the Indian women’s cricket team won a bronze medal, which was a great effort. Since then, there have been discussions if cricket can make it to the bigger Games. Cricket and the Summer Olympics may have been a bizarre thought. No, not anymore, going by certain reports in international sites.

For sure, the respectable “Inside The Games” has been writing about how cricket can make the cut for the 2028 LA Olympics. The city of Los Angeles last hosted an Olympics in 1984, when Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha missed out on a medal, narrowly (1/100th of a second) in the 400m hurdles. It still hurts Usha and followers of Indian athletics. How times have changed. Usha, then a superb athlete, is now heading the IOA.

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ICC impresses the International Olympic Committee and the host city of Los Angeles with ‘financials’

Los Angeles Olympics Cricket
ICC impresses the International Olympic Committee and the host city of Los Angeles with ‘financials’

What is more interesting is the changing scenario vis a vis the Olympic Games. Some traditional sport have been under revision constantly at the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games and the pinnacle, the summer Olympics. It includes boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, and even field hockey.

According to Inside The Games, there are encouraging signs for cricket in Los Angeles, five years from now. In 2024, the Olympics will be hosted by Paris where one will see a medal event like skateboarding. Cricket has become very high profile and the ICC T20 World Cup in 2024 will be held in the United States of America.

So, to imagine cricket being a part of the Olympic programme is not bizarre. The LA Olympics in 2028 will look at the commercial angle closely. Hosting an Olympics has been a losing proposition in recent times. Many countries have incurred massive losses. A nation like Athens, the 2004 host, was left in financial doldrums. Brazil was rocked by financial distress and corruption in 2016 when Rio de Janeiro hosted the 2016 Olympics.

It’s a two-way process. The evaluation of putting in a “new game” is looked at from a commercial angle as well. This is where the ICC (International Cricket Committee) is likely to come out trumps in their Olympic bid in coming months. The ICC has been able to present a viable business model to the host city (LA) which has caught the eye of the IOC (International Olympic Committee).

For the ICC to bring in revenue on the table will be a big plus. No exact details are available but from many sources what emerges clear as crystal water is that Los Angeles will look at all sporting disciplines with a comb. Cricket has caught the imagination of many nations, especially the T20 format. For those who used to say cricket was played by only a few countries, this a refreshing change. After all, even the USA is taking up cricket very seriously now.

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