The Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) have added cricket to a shortlist of 9 sports activities for consideration for inclusion within the 2028 Los Angeles Video games, giving cricket’s bid for involvement within the Olympics an enormous increase. Though a timeframe for this briefing has not but been set, the LA28 organizing committee had requested the ICC to current their case final month.
A remaining determination concerning cricket’s inclusion is anticipated in the course of the second quarter of 2023 when the committee is slated to fulfill in Mumbai. Eight different sports activities, specifically baseball/softball, flag soccer, lacrosse, break dancing, karate, kickboxing, squash, and motorsports will compete for a spot, along with cricket.
The IOC has already authorised the inclusion of 28 sports activities in February 2022 for inclusion within the LA Video games. It dedicated to increasing this system on the similar assembly, and in Could, it devised a system for assessing “potential new sports activities” to find out whether or not they have been applicable for the LA28 Video games.
The IOC is free so as to add as many new sports activities because it needs, however they have to meet these necessities so as to be accepted.
- Prioritising a discount in the associated fee and complexity of internet hosting the Video games.
- Partaking the most effective athletes and sports activities that put athlete well being and security first.
- Recognising international enchantment to followers internationally, and host nation curiosity.
- Prioritising gender equality and youth relevance to interact new followers and athletes.
- Upholding integrity and equity to help clear sports activities.
- Supporting environmental sustainability to foster long-term sustainability.
ICC optimistic of cricket getting a nod
The ICC believes it’s in a robust place, however it’s conscious that the LA committee will in the end make the ultimate determination. One cause for its optimism is the truth that cricket has been “a star attraction”, based on CEO Geoff Allardice, on the 2022 Commonwealth Video games, that are presently happening in Birmingham.
“We’ve seen from the Commonwealth Video games how a lot the world’s finest gamers have loved enjoying in entrance of huge crowds and what I’m positive shall be giant TV audiences,” Allardice informed ESPNcricinfo.
Contemplating cricket’s prominence within the Commonwealth nations, each ICC and the ECB pushed onerous for its inclusion in CWG 2022. It has been 24 years because the recreation has been part of the Commonwealth Video games. In Kuala Lumpur, the 1998 version, solely males’s cricket was performed (ODI format). Solely ladies’s cricket is being performed in ongoing CWG video games, within the T20I format, and eight nations are vying for the gold medal.
