LA28: T20 cricket set for Olympics debut, 4 other sports also set for involvement at showpiece event

Cricket was once played at the Olympics when only France and England participated. This time around, however, the ICC has proposed a six-team competition for both men and women.

A list of five potential new Olympic sports, including cricket in its T20 avatar, has been released as part of the LA28 Olympic proposal for the 2028 Olympic Games. The other sports in contention for making their Olympic debut are: Baseball/Softball, Flag Football, Lacrosse (Sixes), and Squash. A final decision on whether cricket will be included in LA28 is expected to be taken at the IOC Session in Mumbai, scheduled for October 15-17.

In an interview with CNBC-TV18 on September 1, IOC President Thomas Bach supports cricket's inclusion in the Olympics, but said it was up to Los Angeles as the host city. After that, the IOC would make a final decision.

Also, the IOC President suggested that the T20 format would be the best fit for the Olympics. “The T20 format was necessary with the traditional format. We could not have accommodated cricket in the Olympic programme but with a T20 format, this would be very possible,” he had said.

Cricket was once played at the Olympics when only France and England participated. This time around, however, the ICC has proposed a six-team competition for both men and women.

Originally, September 8 was to be the defining date for cricket's inclusion for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, but the meeting was postponed.

However, Bach had suggested in an interview to CNBC-TV18 in September that cricket could make it to the world's premier sports competition if any future hosts propose it.