The International Olympic Committee have confirmed cricket will be one of five new sports at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
The governing body officially ratified a decision that had been recommended last week, at the IOC’s session in Mumbai on Monday.
Cricket will be joined by baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, and squash as new events at the Games in five years’ time.
“We are thrilled that cricket’s inclusion in the LA28 Olympic Games has been confirmed by the IOC session today,” Greg Barclay, the chairman of the ICC, said.
“To have the opportunity to showcase our great sport at the LA28 Games and hopefully many Olympic Games to come will be great for players and fans alike.”
Great Britain won gold the only previous time cricket had been played at an Olympics.
In 1900 in Paris, they won a match against a France team mostly featuring expatriate players from the UK. They were the only two countries to enter the competition.
The tournament in Los Angeles is likely to be a six-team Twenty20 event in both the men’s and women’s sections. The United States are likely to be one of the sides involved as hosts of the Games.
Thomas Bach, the IOC’s president, last week termed cricket’s inclusion “a win-win situation,” that will give the sport “a global stage and the opportunity to grow beyond its traditional countries”.
“And for the Olympic movement it’s the opportunity to engage with a fan and athlete community to which we have had very little, or even no, access,” Bach was quoted as saying.
“One can enrich the other. In India you see the growing Olympic spirit, and a number of Olympic sports are gaining strength and becoming popular, but cricket is still the No 1 sport.”
Mithali Raj, the former captain of the India women’s team, said the decision will help cricket grow beyond its established regions.
“It is so exciting that cricket is now an Olympic sport and will make its return at LA28,” Raj said.
“Players will get the chance to compete for an Olympic gold medal and be part of the games which will be so special. It’s also a chance for more fans around the world to enjoy our fantastic sport.”
