Niccolo Campriani, Italy’s Olympic champion shooter and sports director of the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 cited India’s Virat Kohli’s popularity while justifying ICC's pitch for cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Mumbai.
On Monday, October 16, 2023, Cricket was amongst the 5 sports that were included in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Cricket will be played in T20 format in both Men’s and women’s events, confirmed the IOC. Other sports that were included are squash, baseball/softball, lacrosse, and flag football.
IOC president Thomas Bach announced cricket’s inclusion along with other sports after the recommendation of the Executive Board was put to vote through a raise of hands. The proposal to include the five sports recommended by the LA28 Organising Committee was opposed by only two of the 99 IOC members.
The massive following of cricket in India, the world’s most populous nation, and the BCCI supporting the ICC in its Olympic bid also went a long way in securing a spot in the LA28 program.
Niccolo Campriani, who is the sports director at LA28, referred to Indian superstar Virat Kohli’s popularity, as he talked about why cricket should be a part of Olympics.
IOC officially approves inclusion of 5 sports including Cricket in LA Olympics 2028
“We are thrilled to welcome the world’s second most popular sport with an estimated 2.5 billion fans worldwide. Some of you would be wondering why in LA. The Commitment to grow cricket in the US is real and it is already happening with the launch of Major League Cricket this year, which exceeded expectations. We also have the T20 World Cup in the US and West Indies next year,” Campriani said about the ICC event in June next year.
Campriani added: “In addition to that, we recognize the strong digital presence to keep the games relevant for the youth and cricket is offering a unique platform to do so. My friend here Virat (Kohli) is the third-most followed athlete in the world with 340 million followers on social media. That is more than LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Tiger Woods combined.
This is the ultimate win-win-win for the LA28, the IOC, and cricket community as cricket will be showcased on a global stage to grow beyond the traditional cricket countries.”
Cricket has been played in the Olympics only once before, in Paris in 1900, when England defeated France. The value of the IOC broadcast deal in India is likely to go up substantially following the announcement.
From the reported 15.6 million pounds for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the broadcast deal in India could fetch as much as 150 million pounds for the 2028 edition.
(PTI inputs)
