After a long hiatus of 128 years, cricket is set to make a comeback in the prestigious Olympic Games. The sport, which holds a special place in the hearts of millions of people worldwide, will be featured in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles organising committee suggested cricket in its shortest format T20 as well as four other sports should be added for the 2028 Olympic Games, to the IOC, it was revealed on Monday. The same was confirmed by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Although this is not the final decision, it is a major step towards the return of cricket to the Olympics after more than a century, as per ICC Chairman Greg Barclay. The decision to reintroduce cricket in the Olympics comes as a result of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) joining forces to promote the sport on a global scale. Both ICC and IOC recognise the immense potential of cricket to engage and inspire athletes from diverse backgrounds.

The endorsement of cricket by the LA organising committee was significant and the result of a two year process with cricket’s international governing organisation. Currently, it is being “reviewed and put forward by the IOC Executive Board for ratification” during the Mumbai IOC meeting. Baseball/softball, Squash, Lacrosse, and Flag football, an American football subgenre, are other four suggested sports.

Cricket was only ever played at the Olympics once, in 1900 in Paris, where two teams competed, Great Britain and Mixed team of the French Athletic club union after Belgium and Holland dropped out. The decision puts an end to months of doubts about the sports comeback and allows the IOC to capitalise on the enormous market that the sport enjoys, particularly in India and throughout Asia. The IOC’s decision to hold its meeting in New Delhi for the first time since 1983 is another indication of the country’s growing importance to the Olympic body.

Cricket is becoming more and more popular in the USA, another large athletic market that ICC and IOC are anxious to capitalise on. The USA and West Indies will co-host the ICC T20 World Cup in 2024. According to Casey Wasserman, Chairman of the LA organising committee, the proposed new sports are “relevant, innovative, and community-based, played in backyards, schools, community centres, stadiums, and across the country and globe”. They will bring new athletes to the Games, engage a variety of fan bases, and increase the games presence in digital spaces, further enhancing LA28’s mission to deliver an unmatched experience,” Wasserman concluded.

Cricket might have a longer run at the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, Australia. Breakdancing, for example, wasn’t included in the LA organising committee’s proposal but was included to the 2024 Paris Games. The IOC President Thomas Bach, who is now in Mumbai, participated in a game of cricket with children at an event in Navi Mumbai and has expressed his support for cricket’s potential Olympic participation. He underlined his goal for the Olympics to be “more inclusive, more urban and sustainable” during the European Olympic Committee meeting a few days ago.

The return of cricket to the Olympics will have a profound impact on the sport’s growth and development. It will also provide a platform for players from different cricket-playing nations to showcase their skills and compete at the highest level against the best teams in the world. The inclusion of cricket in the Olympics will also help in popularising the sport in regions where it is not traditionally played.