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In a big update it has been confirmed that the International Olympics Committee (IOC) has rejected International Cricket Council’s (ICC) offer to include cricket as a sport in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The ICC had begun its preparations eyeing to include cricket in the Los Angeles 2028 Games but the offer now remains rejected.
The International Olympics Committee had previously added baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing in the last Olympics edition which took place in Tokyo in 2021 after a year-long hiatus due to COVID-19.
What is the process for a new sport to be included in Olympic Games?
There is a set process which needs to be followed for a sport to be included in the quadrennial event. Firstly, a sport must be recognised by the IOC and should be governed by an international federation which undertakes to follow the rules of the Olympics charter. The sport should also be practiced and played widely across the world to meet the other criteria.
The IOC Executive Broad must then recommend a sport to be added to the Games programme if it has the approval of the IOC Session.
It is to be noted that cricket was part of the Summer Games only once before at Paris 1900. In this edition, only one match was played between Great Britain and France which the Brit won by 158 runs.
