The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed that cricket will return to the Olympic Games after 128 years. Six teams will take part in both the men’s and women’s categories. A total of 90 players will participate in each event. Cricket will be played in the T20 format at the Olympics. It will begin with the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

5 Sports Included in Los Angeles Olympics 2028

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed that five new sports will be part of the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Along with cricket, the other four sports are squash, flag football, baseball/softball, and lacrosse.

Cricket’s Qualification Process Not Yet Decided

So far, the qualification process for cricket in the Olympics has not been finalized. Unlike Test and ODI formats, T20 International cricket is played by almost 100 countries. This makes the qualification process more challenging. However, as the host country, the USA may get direct entry into the tournament.

IOC Executive Board Approved the LA28 Program

The program for the Los Angeles Olympics was approved by the IOC Executive Board on Wednesday, April 9. The 2028 Games will have 351 medal events, which is 22 more than the Paris Olympics.

The IOC has also announced that the core athlete quota will stay at 10,500, with an additional 698 athletes allowed for the five newly added sports.

Women’s Cricket in Commonwealth and Asian Games

Women’s cricket was included for the first time in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where Australia won gold and India won silver.

In the 2023 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, cricket featured 14 men’s teams and 9 women’s teams. India won gold medals in both categories.

How Cricket Got Included in the Olympics

The journey to include cricket in the Olympics began in August 2021 when the International Cricket Council (ICC) officially announced its plan to campaign for inclusion. This started a joint effort between the ICC and the LA28 organizing committee, which led to cricket being officially proposed as one of the five new sports in October 2023.