LA Olympics 2028: IOC submits bid for inclusion of five sports including cricket

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday submitted the bids for the inclusion of cricket, along with four other sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, IOC President Thomas Bach said that bids to include baseball/softball, cricket (T20), flag football, lacrosse (sixes), and squash at the Olympics in 2028 had been submitted.
Bach also praised the role played by IOC member and chairperson of Reliance Foundation Nita Ambani in building India's sporting landscape and revealed that Ambani had introduced the idea of featuring cricket at the Olympic Games to many IOC members.

He also congratulated the Indian athletes for their performance at the recently concluded Asian Games.

"Nita Ambani and the team have done a fantastic job. We saw the great performance of team India in Asian Games," Bach said.
Bach further said that cricket was one of the most watched sports in the subcontinent and its inclusion could attract newer audiences to the Olympic Games.

The push to include cricket at the Olympic Games received support from Indian tennis legend Leander Paes, who said he was "1oo per cent" in favour of the sport, featuring at the Games.

"I think the Olympics stands for unity. The Olympics stands for bringing people together – not just cross-country and cross-continent, but also cross-sport. So, I am 100% in favour of cricket coming into the Olympics," Paes had said in September.