Cricket\u2019s more than 100-year Olympic exile moved closer to ending after the sport was approved for inclusion at the 2028 Los Angeles Games by the International Olympic Committee\u2019s executive board. IOC president Thomas Bach, speaking after Friday\u2019s second day of an executive board meeting in Mumbai, said officials had accepted a proposal by LA organisers for Twenty20 cricket to be included as one of five new sports together with baseball\/softball, flag football (non-contact American football), squash and lacrosse. But the final choice of which sports are on the 2028 programme will be voted on Monday at the IOC session in Mumbai, one of the hotbeds of cricket, as India hosts the men\u2019s 50-over Cricket World Cup. \u201cFor the IOC, it is a great opportunity to engage with new athlete and fan communities,\u201d said Bach. \u201cWe see the growing popularity of T20 cricket and we look forward to welcoming the world\u2019s best players to the US in 2028,\u201d he added. Los Angeles chiefs have proposed a six-team event, in both men\u2019s and women\u2019s T20 cricket, with the United States set to field sides as the host nation. But no firm decision on the number of teams or how they are qualified will be taken unless and until cricket receives formal ratification on Monday. Cricket last featured at the 1900 Paris Olympics, when a team from Britain beat a side representing France. The sport has made moves towards a return to the Games for more than a decade, with the encouragement of the Olympic movement. Adding cricket to the Olympic programme is an obvious move, financially speaking. It would tap into the lucrative south Asian market, attracting fans in countries such as India and Pakistan. T20 cricket is the sport\u2019s shortest international format. The Indian Premier League, featuring cricket\u2019s global stars, has helped India become the unquestioned economic driving force of the sport, thanks to legions of fans and lucrative broadcasting deals in a nation where the game is almost a religion. Meanwhile, the status of boxing at the 2028 Games remains uncertain after the IOC stripped the International Boxing Association of its recognition following a dispute over how the sport is governed. Boxing has been part of every Olympics since 1920 and will feature in Paris next year. \u201cWe want boxing on the programme,\u201d said Bach. \u201cWe have no problem, with boxing or boxers \u2014 we have a problem with the governing body. \u201c<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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