THE International Olympic Committee have voted in favour of cricket being included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
This will be the first time the sport has been included since its only appearance during the 1900 Paris Olympics.
The event was originally removed due to only England and France being the only nations participating in the event and Belgium and Holland pulling out before the competition began.
However, the second biggest sport in the world made its return to mega events during the 2022 Commonwealth games in Birmingham.
Following the announcement IOC president Thomas Bach revealed the global reach of cricket was one of the reasons behind its inclusion.
In a press conference Bach said: “We are ready to welcome the world’s best players of cricket to perform in the United States in 2028, while showcasing iconic American sports to the world.
“We see the growing popularity of cricket, particularly the T20 format.
“The Olympic Games will give cricket a global stage and the opportunity to grow beyond the traditional cricket countries and region.”
On top of cricket, which will be played in the T20 format, squash, lacrosse, baseball and softball have all received approval to be included.
The 2028 Games will be the first appearance of flag football and squash at the Olympics, whereas Lacrosse has not been seen at the world’s most prestigious event since 1908 and baseball and Softball have been on the roster as recently as 2020.
