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After finally getting included in the Commonwealth Games after years of struggles, cricket may feature at the 2028 Olympic Games as per a recent report. The Olympic Committee has shortlisted cricket along with eight other sports for review at its next meeting in Mumbai. However, an exact date for this presentation is yet to be fixed.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is scheduled to meet in Mumbai in the second quarter of 2023. There could be a discussion around the inclusion of cricket at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Cricket along with eight other sports including baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, break dancing, karate, kickboxing, squash, and motorsport will be vying for a spot in the biggest sporting event.
The IOC green-lit 28 sports to be part of the LA Games with a focus on youth earlier in February this year. At the same meeting, the committee made a commitment to expand the programme and in May, it came up with a means to evaluate "potential new sports" and see if they were a good fit for the LA28 Games.
Although there is no limit on how many sports IOC can add, they must pass this list of criteria for inclusion.
- Prioritizing a reduction in the cost and complexity of hosting the Games.
- Engaging the best athletes and sports that put athlete health and safety first.
- Recognizing global appeal to fans across the world, and host country interest.
- Prioritizing gender equality and youth relevance to engage new fans and athletes.
- Upholding integrity and fairness to support clean sports.
- Supporting environmental sustainability to foster long-term sustainability.
International Cricket Council (ICC) CEO Geoff Allardice is pretty optimistic about cricket’s inclusion at the LA 2028 Games after the success at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. "We've seen from the Commonwealth Games how much the world's best players have enjoyed playing in front of big crowds and what I'm sure will be large TV audiences," Allardice told ESPNcricinfo.
