Just In | Cricket Returns To Olympics After 128-Year Hiatus

image-lnogfx9dCricket was last played in Olympics in 1900 (Twitter)

In a landmark decision, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has given the green light to include cricket in the roster of sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. 

Los Angeles 2028 Olympics welcomes cricket back to the games

The announcement was made by IOC President Thomas Bach on Friday following an Executive Board meeting at Mumbai's Jio World Convention Centre.

The proposal to reintroduce cricket comes after its only appearance at the 1900 Paris Games, marking a gap of 128 years. The Los Angeles 2028 Organizing Committee initially proposed a list of five games for consideration, with cricket being one of the highlighted sports.

Speaking ahead of the decision, Kit McConnell, Sports Director of the International Olympic Committee, hinted at the possible inclusion during a press conference in Mumbai. He stated that the Executive Board would be evaluating the proposal during their subsequent meeting.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had been advocating for the sport's Olympic inclusion. On October 9, they released a statement detailing a two-year collaboration with LA28 officials, culminating in the proposal to bring cricket to the world's premier sporting event.

"After a two-year process, in which ICC worked closely with LA28, the list of sports to be added in LA included cricket, which will now be put forward for approval to the International Olympic Committee (IOC)," said the statement.

This week's crucial decision was part of the larger IOC Session taking place in India – a significant gathering where decisions related to Olympics’ future are taken. This is only the second time India has had the honour of hosting such an event, the previous occasion being the IOC's 86th session in New Delhi back in 1983.