ICC Hopeful of Getting Cricket into the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

MCC World Cricket Committee chairman Mike Gatting revealed that cricket might soon be a part of the Olympics. Following the committee’s discussions with the newly appointed ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney, Gatting said that the ICC are hopeful of bringing the cricket into the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

“We were talking with Manu Sawhney the ICC chief executive, and he was very hopeful we can get cricket into the 2028 Olympics,” Gatting was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“That’s what they’re working towards at the moment and that would be a huge bonus for cricket worldwide, it would be fantastic.”

Gatting said, “It’s two weeks, that’s a good thing about it, it’s not a month, so it’s one of those (events) where scheduling for two weeks should be fine once every four years once you do the first one.

“You’re going to have – one hopes – a four-year period, once you know you’ve been accepted into the Olympics, that gives you a chance to actually shape your two weeks, so it’s not as if it is butted into the schedule. I think the next 18 months will be very interesting as to how we do that.

He also said that BCCI now coming in compliance with NADA was a major obstacle removed in terms of applying for cricket as a sport at the Olympics.

“One of the problems has been negated, where the BCCI is now working with NADA, the drugs agency, which it wasn’t previously a part of. That will help a long way towards the sport being whole, which is what we need it to be to apply for the Olympics,” he said.

The former England batsman added that the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham will feature women’s cricket, the confirmation of which will arrive soon. The Commonwealth Games Federation executive approved the decision to include the sport at the 2022 event in June.

“I believe there’s going to be a statement out in the next two days or maybe even tomorrow just to confirm the women are going to be playing in the Commonwealth Games at Edgbaston, he said.

“We’re hoping that they’re going to get the nod on that, which will be fantastic.”