Cricket confirmed for 2028 LA Olympics

Cricket's return to sport's greatest stage has been confirmed, with the International Olympic Committee confirming today it will be one of five sports approved for inclusion at the Los Angeles Games to be staged in July 2028.

Men's and women's teams will compete for gold in the T20 format, with the inclusion of cricket in the Olympics program for the first time in more than 120 years all-but ensuring the sport will also feature in the 2032 Games to be held in Brisbane.

Cricket's only previous appearance at a summer Olympics was the 1900 Games in Paris, where Great Britain (in reality, a club outfit from Devon and Somerset) defeated a French team comprised of mostly British expats to claim gold in the two-nation tournament.

It has featured twice at the Commonwealth Games, in 1998 at Kuala Lumpur where South Africa's men's team beat Australia in the final and most recently at Birmingham in 2022 as a women's event that saw Australia's all-conquering team win gold ahead from India, with New Zealand taking bronze.

Whereas the 1900 Olympics event was decided by a two-day match and the 1998 Commonwealth Games hosted a 50-over tournament, the growth of cricket's T20 format is seen as a better fit and was used at Birmingham last year.

Cricket Australia has been a strong advocate for cricket's inclusion at Olympic level, a commitment that was enshrined in CA's current five-year strategic plan.

"We are thrilled that the International Olympic Committee has approved the introduction of T20 cricket at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games," Cricket Australia Chief Executive Nick Hockley said today.

"This is a game-changer for our sport that is already among the fastest growing in the world.

"The Olympic Games will undoubtedly increase the global reach of cricket, inspiring a whole new generation to love and play the game.

"The opportunity to win an Olympic medal also provides a new and exciting opportunity for our champion women’s and men’s teams.

"We look forward to working with the Australian Olympic Committee in the lead-up to the Los Angeles Games and are hopeful this will be the start of a long-standing relationship between cricket and the Olympics, including for Brisbane 2032."

It's the 20-over version with men and women's competitions that will feature at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, just months before that year's men's T20 World Cup which the ICC recently confirmed will be staged in Australia and New Zealand.

Cricket is then expected to be a centrepiece of the subsequent 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, with Australia guaranteed a place in the proposed men's and women's competitions as host nation.

"Queensland Cricket is thrilled at confirmation that cricket will be formally included in the Olympics for the Los Angeles 2028 Games," Queensland Cricket Chief Executive Terry Svenson said today.

"It will hopefully inspire boys and girls around the country to achieve their Olympic dreams through playing cricket.

"Along with Cricket Australia, we have championed regional Queensland venues for many years, and the investment in infrastructure promises to deliver a great outcome for sport as cricket joins the Olympic family.

"Likewise, this announcement also enhances the plans we have shared to deliver a redevelopment of the Allan Border Field capacity to at least 10,000 seats in Albion, which will also assist in the displacement period that cricket will face when the Gabba redevelopment is underway.

"We look forward to working collaboratively with the Queensland Government and our partners in Local Government to deliver world class venues into the future as the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics takes shape."

In addition to cricket's return, the IOC's meeting in Mumbai today confirmed flag football, lacrosse, baseball/softball and squash would be added to the program for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

The IOC meeting took place against the backdrop of the ongoing ICC men's 50-over World Cup, which is understood to have highlighted to Olympics officials the huge television audience of the game especially in sub continental viewing markets.