Cricket is set to return to the Olympics after a gap of 128 years. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Monday made the official announcement to include cricket in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. While Indian fans are excited to see Team India participating in Olympics, they will be surprised to know that Virat Kohli played a major role in the inclusion of cricket in the Olympics.
The IOC acknowledged that the popularity of the India’s star cricketer played a massive part in inclusion of the sport in the Olympics.
During the announcement event in Mumbai, Italian Olympic champion shooter and Director of the LA28 Games, Nicolò Campriani, explained the reason behind including cricket after a gap of 128 years and said, “My friend Virat Kohli is the third most followed athlete in the world with 340 million followers on social media. This is more than the combined followers of LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Tiger Woods.”
“This is a big win for LA28, the IOC, and the cricket community because it will showcase cricket on a global stage and help it move ahead of traditional cricket-playing nations”, Campriani further added.
Following the announcement of cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) also welcomed news.
“Including cricket in the Olympics will open up new horizons for the sport, providing unprecedented exposure in untapped global markets. Additionally, we hope this decision will yield significant financial benefits and have a profound impact on the ecosystem of our sport”, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah tweeted.
“This will boost grassroots development, enhance competition, promote youth development, and create opportunities for officials, volunteers, and skilled professionals”, Shah added.
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