Cricket gets the nod for 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles
October 16, 2023
Among the five sports up for approval for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, cricket attracted the most attention, not just because it is the second most popular sport in the world after football, but because of where the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was holding its Congress, in Mumbai, the cricket-mad nation of India.
The vote for cricket was overwhelming, with just two of some 90 votes against. This marks the return of the sport that was only once previously a part of the Olympics, in Paris in 1900. The 2028 Games are to feature men's and women's six-team Twenty20 tournaments, the shortest form of the game.
Baseball and softball, lacrosse, flag football and squash are also to be added to the Olympic lineup for 2028, as proposed by the organizers of the LA Games.
Lacrosse, originally played by indigenous people in North America, is also making its return to the Olympics after an absence of more than a century – having been dropped after the 1908 London Games. Baseball and softball have been in and out of the Olympic program, with both having returned for the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Squash is set to make its debut at the Los Angeles Olympics, having failed in bids to be included in the four previous Summer Games.
NFL backing for flag football
Also completely new to the Olympics is flag football, a non-contact version of the full-contact game, which was a demonstration sport at the 1932 Olympics – when Los Angeles first hosted the Summer Games. The United States' wildly popular National Football League (NFL) is squarely behind the move.
"The NFL is committed to working together to strengthen flag football's place in the Olympic movement long term," the league's commissioner, Roger Goodell, said in a statement.
Push for another term for Bach
IOC President Thomas Bach didn't rule out staying on in the post after his term expires in 2025. Responding to calls by three IOC members for a change to the Olympic Charter to allow him to stay on, Bach thanked them for their "kind words of support."
The current 12-year term limit was adopted by the IOC in 1999 during a bribery scandal surrounding the awarding of the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Bach was first elected in 2013 and confirmed in office for a final four years in 2021. A motion to amend the Olympic Charter could be put to IOC members at the next congress, ahead of next summer's Paris Games.
Hosting rights for 2030 and 2034 Winter Games
The Congress in Mumbai also decided to award the hosting rights for the 2030 and 2034 Winter Games shortly before next summer's Olympics in Paris.
Just recently, the northern Japanese city of Sapporo abandoned its bid to host the 2030 Winter Games in light of bribery scandals surrounding the 2020 Olympic Games held in Tokyo in the summer of 2021. Sapporo, the host of the 1972 Winter Games, is now considering a bid for 2034 or later. 2010 Winter Games host Vancouver has also withdrawn after the British Columbia provincial government announced that it would not support the bid.
Possible contenders for 2030 could include bids from France, Sweden and Switzerland. Due to the 2028 Summer Games being hosted by LA, 2030 is thought to be too early for Salt Lake City. However, the 2002 hosts look to be in the driver's seat for 2034, as so far, no other city or region has expressed interest.
Prior to its decision, the IOC had pointed to the implications of climate change for future editions of the Winter Olympics. The selection commission presented two studies. According to the studies, by 2040, just 10 countries worldwide will still be able to host the snow competitions at the Olympics and the Paralympics. Therefore, the IOC is discussing a possible rotation system among this small group as well as changes to the future makeup of the competition program.
A first for Winter Games
The 2026 Winter Games, to be hosted by Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy, are set to make history — but not how they probably would have wanted. Giovanni Malago, head of the organizing committee, told the delegates in Mumbai that the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions would be held outside Italy. This, he said, was due to an estimated doubling of costs for constructing the Cortina track to €80 million ($84 million). He said a venue outside of Italy had been identified as suitable but declined to name it as it had not yet been approved by the organizing committee.
The Austrian town of Innsbruck, which hosted the 1964 and 1976 Winter Games, is one of the closest possible alternatives. This will be the first time in the 102-year history of the Winter Games that competitions will be held outside the host country.
Edited by: Kalika Mehta