Cricket to return to Olympics? ICC makes huge proposal to IOC for 2028 Games; Read details

Cricket could be set for a blockbuster return to the Olympics as reports have emerged that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has made a proposal to the International Olympic Council (IOC) to include the sport in the 2028 Los Angeles Games. If cricket is indeed included in the 2028 Olympics, the sport would return after a long 128-year absence.

Cricket could return to Olympics after 128-year absence

According to the Telegraph, the ICC has made a proposal to the IOC to include cricket at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. As per the proposal, six men and women teams would take part in the competition and their qualifications would be dependent entirely upon their T20I rankings. The report adds that the six teams could feature a 14-person squad to reduce the number of athletes taking part in the tournament.

As for the format of the competition, the teams would be divided into two groups of three teams, with the top two making it to the semi-finals. The winner of both semis will play for the all-important gold medal match while the teams losing would compete for the bronze medal.

28 sports so far have been confirmed for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, and cricket is one among nine sports that have been shortlisted to take into consideration for inclusion. The other sports are baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, break dancing, karate, kickboxing, squash, and motorsport.

The report adds that the final decision of which sport would be included would be finalized in September 2023, while an announcement for the same would take place during the IOC session in Mumbai. Cricket has featured just once in the Olympics and that was way back in 1900 during the second edition of the Games in Paris. On that occasion, only two teams competed. Great Britain defeated France to win the gold medal while the latter won the silver.