5 sports activities, together with cricket and flag soccer, had been included within the 2028 Los Angeles Video games on Monday after gaining the approval of the Worldwide Olympic Committee.
Key factors:
- Cricket, squash, baseball/softball, lacrosse and flag soccer will happen on the 2028 Olympics in LA
- Cricket has not featured at an Olympics because the 1900 Paris Video games, the place the Devon and Somerset Wanderers beat France on behalf of Nice Britain
- Squash and flag soccer are the one two sports activities to by no means function at an Olympics earlier than
Lacrosse, squash and baseball/softball had additionally been proposed by LA Video games organisers for inclusion and acquired approval at an IOC assembly in Mumbai.
Every host metropolis, below IOC guidelines, can request the inclusion of a number of sports activities for his or her version of the Video games.
The 5 sports activities had already been given the nod from the highly effective IOC government board final week, with the session on Monday approving its advice.
“We’re thrilled,” Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley mentioned.
“It is a game-changer for our sport that’s already among the many quickest rising on this planet. The Olympic Video games will undoubtedly improve the worldwide attain of cricket, inspiring a complete new era to like and play the sport.
“The chance to win an Olympic medal additionally offers a brand new and thrilling alternative for our champion ladies’s and males’s groups.
“We look ahead to working with the Australian Olympic Committee within the lead-up to the Los Angeles Video games and are hopeful this would be the begin of a long-standing relationship between cricket and the Olympics, together with for Brisbane 2032.”
Cricket, which enjoys an enormous following in India and has a quick rising world viewers, returns to the Video games after greater than a century, having appeared as soon as on the 1900 Olympics.
The LA Video games proposal is for a six-team Twenty20 cricket event for women and men.
The IOC hopes cricket’s inclusion will activate and have interaction a big, new Olympic viewers, particularly amongst Asian followers of the game.
The annual Indian Premier League cricket event, with an estimated model worth of $13.2 billion, is without doubt one of the richest leagues on this planet throughout sports activities and continues to draw the world’s high gamers and coaches to India.
Whereas all 5 sports activities’ inclusion is just for one version of the Video games, they’re banking on the enhance supplied by Olympic participation to spur progress as they appear to stay a beautiful Olympic product going into the subsequent four-year cycle.
“There is a great alternative right here in Australia and throughout the globe for all these sports activities to seize new audiences and individuals,” Australian Olympic Committee president Ian Chesterman mentioned.
“I do know they’re all very excited concerning the prospect. The great thing about the Olympic sports activities programme is that there’s something for everybody.
“The addition of cricket to the programme is especially thrilling for Australian followers and gamers alike, given Australia’s long-standing ardour for the game.”
Flag soccer is a non-contact format of American soccer performed by groups of 5.
American soccer final featured as an indication sport within the 1932 LA Video games.
Baseball has featured in a number of earlier Video games. It was added to the 2020 Tokyo program after being left off in 2012 and 2016, but it surely is not going to be part of the Paris Video games.
Softball, the feminine counterpart to baseball, has appeared at 5 earlier editions of the Summer season Video games and was additionally left off the Paris agenda.
Australia received bronze on the 1996, 2000 and 2008 Video games, whereas choosing up a silver at Athens 2004.
Lacrosse twice appeared as a medal sport on the Olympics, in 1904 and 1908.
Squash has by no means featured on the Olympics.
ABC/Reuters
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