Amidst the ODI World Cup frenzy, there is more good news for fans of cricket. The team sport is just one step, which many reports claim to be a formality, from featuring at the 2028 Summer Olympics hosted by Los Angeles. The development comes after cricket was introduced as a medal event in the Commonwealth Games and Asiad.
Here is explaining the development so far in five points
WHAT'S THE BUZZ? Cricket was among the five sports approved by the International Olympic Committee executive board on Friday to be included in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
WHAT'S NEXT? The IOC session, starting on Sunday, will now have to rubberstamp the board's recommendation before cricket and the four other games can officially become part of the Los Angeles showpiece.
WHAT PAVED THE WAY FOR CRICKET'S COMEBACK? Each host city, under IOC rules approved a few years ago, can request the inclusion of several sports for their edition of the Olympics, Reuters said. Earlier this week, the organisers of 'LA28' had said they wanted cricket, flag football, lacrosse, squash and baseball-softball to be part of the Summer Olympics.
HOW WILL BE CRICKET PLAYED AT 'LA28'? If approved, men's and women's T20 cricket competitions will be played in the 2028 edition of the Olympic Games. Women's cricket made its debut in Commonwealth Games last year while men's and women's competitions were played in the recent Asian Games in China where India swept the competition. The International Cricket Council (ICC) had earlier recommended a six-team T20 event for the Los Angeles Games, ESPN Cricinfo said in a report. The participating teams would be selected based on international T20 rankings on a cut-off date, the report added.
OLYMPIC DEBUT FOR GENTLEMAN'S GAME? No. Cricket has been played in the Olympics once before. It featured in the Paris edition of the Games in 1900 when England and France battled for the gold medal.
