Cricket & squash among the five sports set to be included in LA28 Olympics

Cricket is set to be reincluded in the Olympics after 123 years. The sport was first played at the quadrennial showpiece in 1900 in Paris.

Cricket is one of the five sports proposed by the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Organising Committee.

Cricket has been brought back into the Olympic roaster after heavy lobbying by the International Cricket Council and its member associations.

Along with cricket, squash, lacrosse, flag football and baseball/softball are in contention to be included in the final roster for the LA28.

"The final decision will be made in the coming days," said the Olympic Games on X, formerly Twitter.

Squash, which has never been part of the Olympic Games, is a surprise inclusion as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the organising country always maintained that hosting squash is expensive.

Lacrosse, which last appeared in the Games in 1908, also came as a surprise.

The decision to include these five sports has been taken after extensive discussion between LA28 and the IOC's Olympic programme commission.

These sports will officially be included at the IOC's 141st session in Mumbai, which begins on Sunday.

Why cricket?

India's existing Olympic broadcast rights are reportedly worth $20 million for the 2024 Paris Olympics. But, the value of the rights could go up to $160 million if cricket is included in the Games.

The last time cricket was played at the 1900 Olympics, England defeated France in a one-off match. At LA 28, the cricket matches will be played in the T20 format.

It is highly likely that cricket will retain its place in the Olympics for the 2032 Brisbane Games as well in Australia, a powerhouse in cricket.