Cricket at Olympics: Los Angeles Olympics 2028 set to mark Cricket's return, six-team T20 competition mooted to globalise cricket

Cricket at Olympics: The Los Angeles Olympics could mark a return of cricket at the Olympics with T20 cricket being discussed as one of the options. The move is proposed by the International Cricket Council after a 128-year absence, proposed to globalise cricket. A six-team event is mooted, with both men’s and women’s team participating. Follow all sports news and updates live on Insidesport.IN

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Cricket at Olympics: Los Angeles Olympics 2028 set to mark Cricket’s return, six-team T20 competition mooted to globalise cricket – Check out

As per the Telegraph, Cricket is one of nine other sports shortlisted for inclusion alongside the 28 sports in the initial sports programme for Los Angeles 2028, cricket is one of nine other sports shortlisted for inclusion. A final decision on the same will come in September next year, with the ICC leaving no stone unturned to bring back cricket to the biggest sporting carnival.

The ICC has suggested a six-team event with squads expected to be 14 per team in a bid to keep the athlete numbers down. The report states that the men’s and women’s events could be held one after the other, to save costs. A format of two groups could be drawn up, with the top 2 in each reaching the semifinals. A third place playoff could determine the bronze.

Although the Olympics takes place during the English summer – the LA Games is scheduled for July 14-30 – England have indicated that they support Olympic inclusion. The disruption to the English domestic summer would be minimal, with both the men’s and women’s events likely to last around a week.

England would compete as a Great Britain side – meaning that the England side could potentially be supplemented by players from Scotland, such as Mark Watt, and theoretically even Northern Ireland cricketers. The England & Wales Cricket Board, as well as Cricket Scotland and Cricket Ireland, have all made clear their support for an Olympic bid.

Cricket at Olympics: Los Angeles Olympics 2028 set to mark Cricket’s return, six-team T20 competition mooted to globalise cricket – Check out

The teams would be genuinely full-strength national representative sides, rather than underage sides or a variant of the format used in football in the Olympics – U23 sides, with three overage players per side permitted. India, England, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia currently occupy the top six berths in the men’s rankings. In the women’s rankings, the top six spots are occupied by Australia, England, New Zealand, India, South Africa and West Indies.

The prominent position of India in both sets of T20 rankings means that they would be highly likely to qualify for both events. This is considered important for cricket’s chances of inclusion, as the Olympics have struggled for popularity in South Asia and the global appeal of sports is a major factor in which sports are added to the LA 28 programme.

The Caribbean islands would not compete as the West Indies, but as individual nations instead. In the Commonwealth Games, West Indies won one slot through the qualification system.

🚨 CRICKET AT THE OLYMPICS 🚨

According to a report by the Telegraph, cricket could be in the Olympics by 2028.

Proposals will include a 6-team competition for both Men & Women. pic.twitter.com/jZjRVHS7Vc

— England’s Barmy Army (@TheBarmyArmy) November 18, 2022

Cricket at Olympics: Los Angeles Olympics 2028 set to mark Cricket’s return, six-team T20 competition mooted to globalise cricket – Check out

The Local Organising Committee has been meeting with all nine candidate sports. A delegation watched the women’s cricket event at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Many within the sport hoped that cricket featuring in the Commonwealth Games – for the first time since 1998 and just the second time ever – would be an indication of its suitability for multi-sport events, aiding its return to the Olympic Games.

The United States is already co-hosting the next edition of the Men’s T20 World Cup. The ICC hopes that the event will be a catalyst to grow the sport in the USA. Three grounds in Los Angeles have been identified as potentially suitable to host cricket matches during the 2028 Games, including the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, which hosts the Oakland Athletics team in Major League Baseball.

Cricket at Olympics: Los Angeles Olympics 2028 set to mark Cricket’s return, six-team T20 competition mooted to globalise cricket – Check out

Rugby sevens rejoined the Games in 2016. It is now believed to receive at least £25 million through national Olympic committees per four-year cycle worldwide – funding that is open to sports federations if their sport is part of the Games, regardless of whether the federation in question qualifies for the event. In practice, the countries likely to benefit the most from Olympic inclusion are emerging nations, who would be highly unlikely to qualify for the Games.

Brisbane has already been confirmed as the host for the 2032 Olympic Games, and the organising committee are believed to be supportive of cricket’s inclusion in that Games.

Cricket has only previously been in the 1900 Paris Olympics when a Great Britain team – comprising players from Devon & Somerset Wanderers Cricket Club – defeated a French side, consisting of players from the French Athletic Club Union, in the gold medal match. Great Britain have been the reigning Olympic cricket champions ever since.