Cricket will return to the Olympic Games after a gap of 128 years, featuring six teams in both the men’s and women’s events, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed.

At the 2028 Los Angeles Games, cricket will be played in the T20 format, with six teams competing in both the men’s and women’s competitions.

Cricket is one of five new sports that will be included in the Los Angeles Olympics, alongside squash, flag football, baseball/softball, and lacrosse.

The qualification criteria for cricket at the Olympics are yet to be finalised.

Unlike Test and ODI formats, T20 International cricket is played by nearly 100 nations, making the qualification process an interesting challenge.

As hosts, the USA might receive a direct entry into the tournament.

It is expected that the top five teams in the ICC rankings within a certain cut-off date will qualify, apart from the United States of America.

The event programme for the Los Angeles Olympics was approved by the IOC Executive Board on April 9.

The 2028 Games will feature a total of 351 medal events-22 more than the Paris Olympics.

Every team will be able to name a 15-member squad as a total of 90 athlete quotas have been allocated for each gender.

The core athlete quota remains at 10,500, with an additional 698 athletes allocated across the five new sports, the IOC announced.

At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, women’s cricket was featured for the first time, with Australia claiming gold and India taking silver. In the 2023 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, 14 men’s teams and 9 women’s teams participated, with India securing gold in both categories.

ICC Chairman Jay Shah is already working on a long-term strategy to ensure cricket’s presence in future Olympic Games, including Brisbane 2032. The former BCCI secretary played a key role in the campaign to bring cricket to the Olympic stage in 2028.

Source: India Today