Cricket is finally included in the Olympics. After an absence of 128 years, the widely watched sport is returning to the quadrennial spectacle. The Olympic Games in 1900 included cricket. Cricket (men’s and women’s T20Is) will make a comeback at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Cricket is one of the additional sports for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, along with lacrosse (sixes), baseball/softball, flag football, and squash. On Monday, the decision was formally made. Virat Kohli, who is undoubtedly cricket’s biggest star right now, was mentioned. There was even a suggestion that cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics may have been influenced by Virat Kohli’s big fan base. Scroll down to read Virat Becomes The Highlight In Cricket’s Olympic Inclusion.
Virat Becomes The Highlight In Cricket’s Olympic Inclusion
When the decision to include the sport in the Olympics was made during the International Olympic Committee (IOC) 141st session, Niccolo Campriani, the Sports Director of the Los Angeles 2028 Organising Committee, said, “My friend here, Virat Kohli, is the third most followed athlete in the world on social media with 340 million followers. That’s more than LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Tiger Woods combined in the NBA, American football, and golf, respectively. As cricket will be featured on a worldwide scale to expand it outside traditional cricketing nations and provide access to untapped groups of athletes and fans. It is an ideal win-win situation for LA28, the IOC, and the cricket community.”
Given that Virat is regarded as one of the greatest batters in history, it is not surprising that his name was brought up throughout the event. With over 25,000 international runs, 77 hundreds, and countless more memorable moments as a captain, cricketer, and public figure, Virat has established himself as many people’s choice to carry on the legacy of the iconic Sachin Tendulkar.
The words of Niccolo were accepted by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Virat’s Indian Premier League (IPL) team.
“KOHLIFIED! The Face and the Brand of Cricket as a Sport as well as RCB or Team India! Cricket at the Olympics is a win-win, according to the #LA28 Sports Director. “#PlayBold,” RCB tweeted.
At the 1900 Paris Olympics, cricket made just one appearance; in the final, Great Britain defeated France. However, it is also contested at the Asian and Commonwealth Games.
The plan was opposed by two IOC members, and one member remained silent.
The official said, “The IOC Session has approved the proposal from the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (@LA28) to add five new sports to the program. The LA28 schedule will include baseball/softball, cricket (T20), flag football, lacrosse (sixes), and squash. IOC Media tweeted “#IOCMumbai2023.”
