Cricket will return to Olympics after 128 years

Cricket will return to the Olympics at the Los Angeles edition in 2028 after an absence of more than a century, while squash will make its debut on the Games programme. The inclusion of both sports was formalised at the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Mumbai.
The two sports have been joined by baseball/softball, flag football and lacrosse after they were proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee (OC) as a “package” for their edition of the Games and were reviewed and supported by the IOC’s Olympic programme commission (OPC) and executive board (EB). Cricket was on the programme for the Olympic Games in Paris in 1900, while lacrosse featured in St Louis 1904 and London 1908. Baseball/ softball have been part of the programme at several editions of the Olympic Games, most recently at Tokyo 2020. Flag football will be making its Olympic debut in LA.
“Cricket has evolved. We have always been made aware of the development of cricket in India and beyond by IOC member Nita Ambani. The IOC then had talks with the LA organising panel,” said IOC president Thomas Bach.
“The choice of these five new sports is in line with the American sports culture and will showcase iconic American sports to the world, while bringing international sports to the United States. These sports will make the Olympic Games LA28 unique. Their inclusion will allow the Olympic movement to engage with new athlete and fan communities in the US and globally,” added Bach.
Cricket’s addition to the Games programme wasn’t unanimous as two IOC members voted against the proposal while one member abstained.
The selection of sports was the result of a thorough process and analysis based on evaluation criteria set out before the process began, including gender equality.