After the absence of over a century, cricket returns to the Olympics, included in the LA 2028 program
Cricket has a solid fan base of 2.5 billion, and ever-swelling TV revenue has formed its axis to be labelled as a sport with a worldwide appeal, second only to football. But in reality, all of it is parked in the Commonwealth countries, and even among them, India alone helms around 70 percent, if not more, of those numbers. But now, all this could change because cricket, in its T20 format, has made its re-entry into the Olympic fold through the 2028 edition in Los Angeles, and it is a mutually beneficial association from sporting and commercial angles.
Keith Joseph, president of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committee, who gave strong backing to the ICC's efforts to get cricket included in the LA Olympics, said, "It is an excellent piece of news for cricket to be part of the Olympics. It will certainly add to the global image of cricket."
He also points out that "T20 provides an excellent platform too in terms of duration and connection with younger audiences. That the USA will be co-hosting the T20 World Cup in 2024 will also work as a very good precursor to cricket ahead of the Olympics.”