According to a report published in ESPNCricinfo, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has shortlisted cricket along with eight other sports for a review for inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The development has come one month after the Local Organising Committee of the 2028 Games requested that the Internation Cricket Council (ICC) submit a presentation to support their inclusion. However, a schedule for the presentation has not yet been fixed, but it is likely to happen during the IOC meeting in Mumbai in the second quarter of 2023, according to the report.
Baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, breakdancing, karate, kickboxing, squash, and motorsport are the other eight sports that are in the fray.
The IOC stated earlier in February that the 2028 Games will have a total of 28 sports and that possible new sports will be taken into consideration with an emphasis on youth. A sport must meet a certain set of requirements in accordance with IOC regulations in order to be eligible for inclusion.
Reduced costs and complexity, along with worldwide appeal, interest in the host nation, gender equality, young relevance, participation of the finest athletes, and sports that put safety and health first are all given priorities while choosing a sport.
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The women's T20 cricket is presently being played among eight nations as part of the ongoing Commonwealth Games.
The ICC and the England and Wales Cricket Board actively campaigned for cricket's inclusion in CWG 2022, citing the sport's widespread appeal among Commonwealth countries.
Geoff Allardice, CEO of the ICC, expressed his satisfaction with the way cricket was perceived during the Birmingham Games and believes it deserves a larger TV audience.
"We've seen from the Commonwealth Games how much the world's best players have enjoyed playing in front of big crowds and what I'm sure will be large TV audiences," Allardice told ESPNcricinfo.
Cricket was previously played at the CWG in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 in the men's ODI format. Any sports discipline at the Olympics, however, must have both male and female players.
(ESPNcricinfo inputs)
